Death's Trickster
by Demon-Princess-Astarte
Summary: Shi Tawakemono is the resident pathologist and a CSI for Inaba. Her world is based on facts and what science can prove. So when a number of murders roll in with the fog, Shi's world is turned upside down and inside out. Can she help Inaba police solve this case? Or will she descend into a fog she cannot escape.
1. The First Body

_So this is something a bit new for me but I decided to branch away from Ao no Exorcist momentarily to work on a new fiction. The only character I own is Shi Tawakemono. All others belong to the Persona 4 franchise which belongs to Atlus. But please enjoy_

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If you had told Shi Tawakemono that she would end up in the situation she was now, she would have laughed in your face and told you that you were mad. She had never been one for believing in fate and religion. She had lost that faith long ago. Instead, her trust had been placed in science, in facts that she could trust and see. As the forensic pathologist in Inaba and a resident CSI, she was often called upon to help with robberies and break ins but murder was never on her schedule. Until little over a year ago. When the fog rolled in and brought with it a terror that shook the little town and turned Shi's world upside down.

As the resident pathologist, Shi would often spend most of her time doing routine autopsies and freaking out the rookies. She would call them down to her office, have them watch as she sliced through skin and muscle and dissected heart and stomach to identify their cause of death. The older officers would get a laugh out of it as well, watching as rookie after unfortunate rookie ran to the sink to empty their stomachs. As she watched the most recent victim of her twisted humour run away, she got a call. She stepped out of the dirty area of her autopsy room, stripped off her gloves and gauntlets and picked up her phone. "Tawakemono." She said; her tone professional.

"Dr Tawakemono? I'm afraid we need you at a crime scene." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What is it?"

"A death." She froze. "We...well you should come down here for yourself and see." The voice at the other end said before hanging up. She stared ahead momentarily before quickly removing her scrubs, grabbing her medical kit and her jacket and heading for her car. Her pager went off with the location as she drove. The radio continued its mindless, idle gossip about some news anchor's affair with a council secretary who was married to a singer. She rolled her eyes and switched to her CDs, the strings of a quartet playing some of her favourite songs echoing out of her speakers. She switched it off as she pulled up to the scene, watching as a high-school student was led to a nearby police car as she stepped out.

"Shi-san." A rough male voice called, she turned to see the voice's owner waving her over. She walked towards him.

"Dojima-san, I heard you've got a death for me." She said, placing her kit down on the ground. As she did so, a gurney was wheeled towards them, a black bag atop it. "Is this the victim?" She asked. He nodded and she turned to the bag and unzipped it. A young woman's face looked back at her, eyes blank and glassy. "Isn't she the one that's been on the news lately?" She asked. Again Dojima nodded. "So why did you call me?"

"Because of how we found her." He turned and pointed at a nearby aerial. "She was hanging from that aerial." He said. She turned to him before looking back at the body. There was no sign of injury. A third shadow fell over them and she turned to see Dojima's new partner, looking at the body, his face turning paler. He turned on his heel and ran off, a hand clamped over his mouth. A few moments later, there was the inevitable sound of him vomiting. Dojima looked annoyed whilst Shi smirked. "Adachi! How long are you going to keep acting like a rookie?!" He yelled.

"Sorry sir." Adachi said weakly, slowly coming back to them as she zipped the bag back up. "It's just, I'm not..."

"Used to it?" Shi asked. Adachi nodded, looking pale as she signalled the two morgue attendants. "Take her to the morgue and get everything set up. I'll see what we've got here and then do the autopsy." She said. The two attendants nodded and took her away. She turned to Adachi and Dojima. "I trust you two will be present at the autopsy? And I'd like to be present when you talk to the one who found her." She added. Adachi turned pale again.

"We will be. And frankly, I'd prefer it if you were with us Shi-san. Maybe she'll talk to a woman." Dojima said. He paused. "You haven't been properly introduced to my partner have you?" He asked. Shi shook her head. Dojima turned to Adachi. "Adachi, this is Shi Tawakemono. She's the department's forensic pathologist and CSI. Shi-san, this is Tohru Adachi." Adachi held out his hand to her.

"Nice to meet you." He said. She glanced at his hand momentarily before taking it and shaking it. She offered him a smile to help make him feel slightly better. "Sorry that I threw up in front of you." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't worry about it. Death is not something one should so easily face." She said. She turned back to Dojima. "So, what can you tell me about our scene?" She asked.

"No sign of anyone carrying her up there. No one heard anything, saw anything. If this is a murder, the perp is a ghost." He said. "The only witness we've got says she saw the body hanging upside down from the aerial." She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Hanging upside down? Really? Well that is interesting." She saw their looks of curiosity. "If this is a suicide, then she willingly put herself in a position that would stop her breathing. She willingly endured positional asphyxia. If this was a murder, then why put her up there?" She said. Dojima nodded in agreement whilst Adachi still looked confused. "Shall we speak to the witness?" She asked. The three of them walked over to the car where the school girl she had seen when she arrived sat.

"Miss Konishi? I'm Detective Ryotaro Dojima; this is my partner Tohru Adachi and Dr Shi Tawakemono. We want to talk to you about what you saw." Dojima said. The girl looked up at them before fixing her gaze upon Shi.

"I was walking back from school. I had some things I needed to take care of at home. And I...I..." She stammered as she remembered what she had seen. Shi decided to step in and crouched down on the girl's level.

"Miss Konishi, I understand this is difficult for you but we need to know everything. That way we can solve this. Please, tell us what you know." She said softly. The girl looked at her for a few moments before nodding and continuing.

"I looked up. I don't know why, I just felt the need to and I saw...her. Hanging upside down from the aerial. I didn't know what else to do so I just called the police." She said. Shi nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

"You did the right thing." She said. She looked at Dojima. "I know all that I needed to know for now. So I'm going to head back and get ready for the autopsy." She said.

"I don't think we need to know anything else so you're free to go for now Miss Konishi. If we need you, we'll contact you to come to the station." Dojima said. The girl nodded and walked off as Shi headed back to her vehicle. "Looks like we're in for a long night." Dojima said, rubbing his forehead.

"If you want, you can use the phone in my office to ring Nanako-chan. Let her know you'll be late." Shi said before turning to Adachi. "As for you, as a punishment for emptying your stomach at the sight of a body, you've gotta go buy us dinner." She said, grinning at his expression.

"But...But..." Adachi began. Shi reached across her seat, unaware that Adachi's gaze had travelled to her hips, the material of her trousers clinging to them as she leaned into her car, and grabbed her purse. She pulled out a few thousand yen and handed them to him.

"If you can get me some steak skewers I'll be happy." She said before climbing into her car. "And get some for yourself, you look half-starved." She said before driving off. Adachi stared at her retreating car lights before a cough from Dojima disturbed him.

"Well, you're lucky." He said. "Shi-san isn't normally that nice to the new kids." He smirked. "She must like you." He said before turning. "Come on, we'll go get that food and head over to the morgue."


	2. No evidence

_Please note that this chapter does contain scenes of a graphic description of an autopsy. If you don't feel like you can read it, you can skip it. Reader disgression is advised. You have been warned._

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The harsh, cold lighting of the autopsy suite was unyielding as the three occupants of the room looked down at the body. Shi Tawakemono picked up her scalpel as she prepared for her task. Dojima watched silently whilst Adachi turned pale. Shi reached across and started up her Dictaphone.

"Victim is a twenty seven year old female. External signs show no injuries or signs of trauma. There is also no sign of abuse." She said. She held the scalpel blade near the victim's neck. "Preparing for the first incision." She said. She made a y-incision down the woman's torso. As she glanced up, she saw Adachi turn paler. "Sink's over there." She said. As she continued, slicing through muscle to expose the ribcage and organs, she heard him running towards the sink. She put the scalpel down and reached for her bone saw. She glanced up to see Adachi returning to his place.

"Will you stop acting like a rookie?" Dojima snapped. Adachi winced.

"Sorry sir." He said. Shi rolled her eyes and began to saw through the ribcage after removing the attaching muscles. She continued to saw though the bones when she heard a clatter. She looked up to see Adachi had fainted, his arm catching the sharps tray of the next autopsy table. She quickly placed down the saw and moved over to him. Dojima stood beside her.

"Adachi! Get up!" He yelled. She removed her gloves and lifted his head.

"He's out cold, come on." She wrapped one of Adachi's arms around her shoulders and pulled him up. "We'll put him in my office." She said. Between the two of them, they carried him to her office and lay him on the sofa. "He'll be fine so long as we leave him there. Come on, we'll continue." She said, heading back out of the office. Dojima followed and watched as she continued sawing through the rib cage. X-rays had already been taken and stood on the light box nearby. As she removed the rib cage and examined the organs in their places, he looked at them.

"There were no fractures?" He asked her, examining the x-rays. Looking at the images in black and white, they didn't look human. But the thing on the table that Shi currently had her hands in was human. Shi glanced up at him.

"No sign of any fractures that would have caused her death. Which is why I'm struggling to see it as a homicide. There's no trauma. Same with a suicide. There's no trauma to indicate it." She let out a sigh as she picked up a second scalpel. "Maybe the toxicology results can help me identify her cause of death." She said. He turned to face her as she began to remove the internal organs. Slowly, each organ from her heart to her womb was removed and examined, its weight, colour and size recorded along with any possible abnormalities. Finally, her attention was turned to the victim's head. She paused when she heard a groan.

Both she and Dojima turned to see Adachi walking out of her office, holding his head.

"Ah, so sleeping beauty finally awakens." Shi joked as she turned back to her duty. Judging from Dojima's chuckle, Adachi had blushed at her comment. She slowly extended her Y-incision around the hairline of her victim and pulled the scalp over the corpse's face. "Skull is intact, no signs of fractures." She commented before reaching for a circular saw. She cut around the skull, leaving small notches in it before removing the top. "No sign of any cerebral haemorrhaging." She murmured again. She picked up her scalpel and cut through the membrane surrounding the brain before removing it. She weighed, measured and recorded every detail about the brain and put it in formaldehyde. She went into the skull and removed the dura membrane but there was still no evidence of trauma. As she re-attached the skull and pulled the hair back in place, she sighed. "I'll take some samples for testing but this is weird." She said.

"There's really no sign to give you a cause of death?" Dojima said, watching as she cut a small amount of hair from the victim.

"Nothing. There's no trauma, there's no pathological markers, I doubt I'm gonna find anything based on histology but I'll give it a go. And unless tox reveals anything, all I can tell you is this. The heart of this woman just stopped." Shi said as she took a small sample of the blood, liver and kidneys. "I'll analyse these tomorrow. For now, I'll sew her back together and put her in the cooler." She said, putting the scalpel and syringe down and picking up a needle and thread. As she placed the organs and rib-cage back into place, she heard a commotion from outside. The three of them looked up as a patrolman entered the room.

"Dr Tawakemono, Detectives. I'm sorry, we're trying to stop them but they won't leave." He said before falling forward as a journalist shoved him out of the way.

"Dr Tawakemono, any idea on the cause of death?" He demanded, throwing a Dictaphone in her face. A photographer came down the hall.

"Alright, you can leave now!" Dojima yelled, shoving the reporter out along with his photographer before they could get any photos.

"The public has a right to know!"

"They will be told in an official statement. But for now, I have no comment I can make upon the situation." Shi said. The reporter was about to say something else but the doors slammed shut on them. "Phew, barely got her here and already the vultures are searching for the carrion." She said. She went back to sewing the announcer shut. Once she was done, she picked up her samples and stored them in a cool storage unit. Then, she pushed the body into one of the cooler and looked at them.

"So, you calling it a night?" Adachi asked. She nodded, walking to her office and grabbing her bag.

"I can't do the toxicology analysis until tomorrow. But I'll make a start on my report tonight. And here." She held out a packet of mints, some nausea tablets and a bottle of water to him. "It'll help deal with the smell and the nausea." She said. He blushed slightly and took them. "Say hi to Nanako –chan for me Dojima-san." She said. He nodded and left. Adachi followed her as she left, rummaging through his pockets.

"Shit. Where is it?" He growled. She glanced at him. "I must have dropped it somewhere." He spotted her raised eyebrow. "My bus-pass." He said. "Now how am I going to get back?" He asked himself.

"I can give you a lift." She said. He stammered. "Don't even bother refusing, I wouldn't want to walk in this fog. Come on." She led him to her car and opened it. As she climbed in, he sunk into the seat. "Just give me the address and we can get going." He gave her the address and she set off. As she drove, she felt more at ease with him in the car then she ever had alone. Little did she know that moment was the first few steps on a path that would lead her to the future she never would have expected.

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_So, a lot of you are probably wondering how I know this much about forensics and autopsies. And alot of you may assume I googled it. But, actually, I am a trained Forensic scientist and CSI. That's how I know so much about these things. I'm trained in them. _


	3. Death walks

Shi sighed as she read through the results of her toxicology analysis. All the spectra had come back clear, no toxins, no sign of anything that could have led to the announcer's death. She rubbed her forehead and put it on her desk. She had spent all night working on her report. She got up and walked over to the corpse. "What happened to you?" She asked it. It was then something caught her attention. Her eyes widened as she saw bruises on the corpses upper arms. She quickly grabbed a camera and photographed them. Immediately, she set about developing them. It was an important find. She grabbed the photos and ran out of her office. Dojima was sat at his desk; Adachi was beside him cradling his head.

"Shi-san, what is it?" Dojima asked. Shi threw the photographs onto his desk. He picked them up and examined them. "What am I looking at?"

"Bruises." She said with a grin. Dojima looked at them. "She had bruising on her upper arms this morning, despite none being visible yesterday. Which means they've only just developed fully." She saw their looks of confusion. "Bruises can only be formed antemortem." A look of realisation took over.

"Which means they were made before death right?" Adachi asked.

"Correct. And this particular pattern is consistent of one that would form if someone gripped her arms too tight." Shi explained.

"Which means she was killed by someone?" Dojima said. Shi nodded.

"We've got a homicide. She was killed by someone." Shi said. She suddenly looked sheepish. "Unfortunately, I have no idea how they did it. Tox came back negative." She said. Dojima slumped back in his seat. Shi sank into a nearby seat and ran a hand through her white streaked hair, a black strand falling over her eye. "I've never seen a case like this." She said.

"What about the analysis of her clothing?" Adachi asked. Shi leant back in the chair.

"We did find a couple of dark hairs on her blouse on the upper arm." She said. "Similar in colour to yours Adachi. But I went onto the DNA Database and there was no match. So, I'm led to assume these hairs came from you when you were looking at the body." She said. "It's all in my statement." She sighed, her arms hanging down the side of her chair.

"Did you sleep at all yesterday?" Dojima asked.

"Did you?" She replied before getting to her feet. "Are you gonna call that Konishi girl in again?" She asked. Dojima nodded. "Ok, well I'm gonna go back to the scene, see if there's anything we missed yesterday. Mind if I borrow your partner to help me?" She asked. Dojima raised an eyebrow. "I ain't gonna steal him away. I need him to help me question the residents, build my own picture. They'll be more likely to talk to me if he's there." She said.

"Sure. Just remember that if he causes trouble, punch him in the head." He said. He picked up the photographs. "I'll go let the chief know of your find." He said. Shi nodded and beckoned Adachi. Together, the two of them left the station and headed back to the scene.

A few hours later, she sighed as she got to her feet and walked back to her car. Adachi glanced up at her, her reports in his hands. She nodded towards them. "Did you understand everything?" She asked him. He nodded. "One of the things I have to do when writing my reports is make sure the layman can understand it. So I can't use my medical jargon, as my lecturer once told me." She smiled as she got into the car.

"Did you find anything?" He asked her, closing the file and looking at her. She shook her head, leaning back in her seat.

"Nothing. No fibres, no DNA, no footwear marks." She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Like Dojima-san said, our killer is like a ghost." She sighed again. Her head was starting to hurt and her body cried out for sleep. "Who has the most effective way of killing people I've ever encountered." It was at that moment, a strange gurgling noise echoed through her car. She glanced at him.

"Sorry." He said. "I haven't eaten anything since breakfast." He admitted. She had to admit she was rather hungry as well. "Shall we grab a bite to eat before heading back?" He asked. She nodded, stretching to try and ease her muscles. He quickly drove them to the central shopping district where they grabbed some steak skewers. "So, what made you go into forensics?" He asked, trying to make some conversation. She glanced at him before returning her attention to the high-school students that walked past.

"You're gonna find out soon enough anyway. My parents were killed when I was seven years old." She said. She spotted Adachi about to offer sympathies. "Don't. It was fate. The two of them killed several people together, I think the count ended at ten known victims, and were being hunted by the police. They would have continued if not for me." She picked her steak skewer up and took a bite. "They wore kitsune masks to hide their identities when killing. The masks were common except for one small detail. The mask my mother wore had a blue oval in the centre of the forehead. One day, a police officer spotted me playing with it and asked me where I got it from. I told him, "it's my mummy's." And next thing I know, my parents are coming back in that night, with blood on their shirts. But they sit with me on the sofa, all night." She paused as she thought back to that night.

"The next morning, they don't wake up. I go outside, see all those police officers outside and I say "Mummy and daddy won't wake up." The next few months are blurs. I remember cameras flashing in my face, reporters demanding interviews with me and my paternal grandmother blaming me. My paternal grandfather did his best to comfort and raise me. He was a forensic pathologist and would take me into work with him. That's where I got my interest in it from. But, eventually he died as well. And I was left with snide remarks and sour looks from my grandmother." A dark laugh came from her. "She favoured my cousin over me always asking why I couldn't be like her. So I left, moved back into my home after I turned 18 and studied. Got my degree and became the pathologist of Inaba. Both forensically and generally." She smiled sadly before looking at him. "But what about you?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Grew up in Tokyo, joined the police. Got transferred out here to the boonies." He said. She raised an eyebrow. "The transfer wasn't my choice. I was taking part in a hostage situation and my finger slipped. I never meant to but I fired the weapon and shot an innocent civilian. Of course, the public went mad, the top brass needed someone to blame. So my chief pointed the finger at me and next thing I know, I'm driving out to the middle of nowhere." He sighed and ate the remainder of his steak skewer.

"Well, at least something interesting is happening now." She admitted. "Most of the autopsies I perform are hospital autopsies. I'm sick of seeing heart attack victims. Not to mention I only ever examine robbery crime scenes and those are few and far between. So this is a welcome breath of fresh air." She got to her feet. "Though I will say, getting to work with you is even better." She said softly. He glanced at her. "All the other detectives and such are much older than me and always talking about their wives or children. It's so boring. But you're my age right?" He nodded. "Then we can talk about other things, not just work or families and that's much better." She said, blushing slightly as she headed back to her car. He stared at her retreating back before climbing into the car with her.

"Well, I suppose I can agree. Meeting you was something good that came from being out here." He said. She glanced at him before smiling and heading back to the station. As they walked back in, Dojima walked forward.

"Adachi, you can go talk to the Konishi girl. Shi-san, I'd like you to walk me through your report with the body." He asked. She nodded and walked with Dojima to the autopsy suite. As she did, a chill ran up her spine and she froze. "Are you ok?" He asked her.

"It felt like death just walked past me." She said.


	4. The Second Victim

A series of shrill cries disturbed her from her sleep. Shi slowly opened her eyes and glanced around. Her living room was dark aside from a few brief slants of light entering through the gaps in her blinds. She yawned and sat up on her sofa, a folder falling off her legs to the ground. She picked up her phone and answered "Dr Tawakemono."

"Shi-san!" Dojima sounded rushed as he spoke to her. "We've got another one." Shi sat up slightly straighter. "It's the Konishi girl."

"I'll be right there." Shi hung up before straightening her blouse and pants and running to her front door. Her kit was still in her car so she quickly drove to the scene. As she pulled up, a crowd had already gathered. A news reporter stood just in front of the crime scene tape as she got out of her car. He spotted her and moved over towards her, his camera-man following.

"And Dr Tawakemono has just arrived on the scene." He said as he approached her. "Dr Tawakemono, any comments for the concerned public on what has happened?" He asked. She walked forward towards the tape as more of them began to move towards her.

"I will say this. I can make no official comment as of this moment. An official statement will be released when the police deem it suitable." She said before ducking under the tape and heading towards the scene. More questions were shouted at her back as she moved towards Dojima, who stood looking at the body. He glanced at the media crowd before looking at her.

"What did you tell them?" He asked her.

"Same thing that gets drilled into everyone involved in investigations. An official statement will be released when deemed suitable and that I have no official comment to make as of this moment." She said before looking up at the body. The victim was suspended upside down. She sighed. "She's gonna be fun to get down." She said. She signalled to the two morgue attendants to move forward as she moved towards the ladder that had been set up. Dojima and Adachi both followed.

"What do you see?" Adachi asked her. Shi slipped on her crime scene suit before climbing up; face mask pulled up and gloves and boot covers on. She began her examination.

"Victim is a high school student. Most likely a third year. No signs of external injuries or trauma." She said. She glanced over the victim for any signs. "No signs of damage to her clothing. No staining." She sighed and stood up before pulling down her mask. "There's no evidence here. You two can come up and get her. But be careful. I don't want her injured." She said as she climbed down and the two morgue attendants climbed up. She glanced up as they began to remove her from her suspension. "Poor thing."

"Saki!" A voice cried from the tape. The three of them turned to see a man and woman at the tape. The man was fighting with a police officer. "Let me go you bastard! That's my daughter!" He yelled. The woman was trying to get past but was also held back.

"Oh no." Shi murmured. She turned back to the attendants who had paused. "Get her down and in a body bag. We can't let them see her like that." She ordered. They nodded and began to move slightly quicker to put her in the bag as her parents broke free of the restraints and moved towards them.

"What happened?! Where's our daughter?!" the victim's father demanded, storming up to Dojima. Shi glanced around them but the reporters had been chased away. Dojima glanced at her and nodded. She sighed.

"Mr and Mrs Konishi, I'm Dr Tawakemono. I'm the resident pathologist for Inaba. I'm afraid to inform you that your daughter, Saki Konishi, is no longer with us." She said. The man stared at her.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" He demanded. His wife, on the other hand, was shaking her head, eyes wide with horror.

"We discovered a body this morning. We believe it to be the body of your daughter." Shi continued. The two of them stared at her. At that moment, the morgue attendants moved towards Shi, the body bag now on a gurney. Shi unzipped the bag and opened it. "Is this Saki Konishi?" She asked. She needed a confirmation of the identity for her report. The couple stared at the body in shock before the woman broke down. The man slowly nodded. "I'm sorry for your..."

"You're sorry?" The man snarled before grabbing the front of her shirt. "My daughter is dead and all you've got is "sorry"?! I want answers!" He yelled. Shi just waited patiently. Dojima didn't move but Adachi did.

"Sir, I'm going to ask you to release Dr Tawakemono. This isn't her fault." He said. The man didn't move.

"I understand your pain." Shi said. "You've lost someone close, you're hurting and you want it to stop. But I'm the only one who can stop this pain. So if you want answers, you'll have to wait because I don't have them yet." She said. The man glared before dropping her. His wife clawed at the bottom of her pants.

"Bring her back. Bring her back." She sobbed. Shi sighed.

"Get them out of here." Dojima said to a nearby uniformed officer. The officer nodded and he led the couple away. "Shi, when will you be doing the autopsy?"

"As soon as I get back to the station. But I'm not expecting much." She said. She turned and began to walk back to her car, when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to face Dojima.

"We'll be back shortly, but you'll have probably started the autopsy by then." He sighed, inhaling on his cigarette before exhaling slowly.

"Just come in when you're ready. Oh and, give these to Adachi-san." She said, handing him a packet of mints. "It's to stop him feeling ill from the smell." She smiled and walked off. He glanced at the packet she had handed her before chuckling.

Shi sighed as she stared down at the body on her table. She shook her head whilst the photographer took the photographs. "Problem?" He asked. She glanced at him.

"The one part of this job I never liked, was examining those whose life was only just beginning." She said before beginning. She had already recorded every external detail, including height, clothing, hair colour, eye colour and such. She placed her Dictaphone on a nearby table and began to work, slowly removing each layer, recording anything and everything. As she came to the removal of the final layer of clothing, she placed a cover nearby.

"Why do you do that?" A male voice asked. She looked up to see Dojima and Adachi entering, Adachi chewing on the mints she had provided.

"The cover?" She asked. He nodded. "It's to give her some form of modesty." She said, slipping off the victim's final layer of clothing before quickly sliding the cover over her. "My examinations are as personal and invading as physically possible. I provide a cover to give my patients some form of modesty. They appreciate it." She said. She slowly sat the body up, to unhinge the bra she wore when there was a groan from the body.

She watched carefully as both Dojima and Adachi flinched. Dojima shook his head. "I'm still not used to that." He said.

"You never encounter that many deaths Dojima-san so you shouldn't be used to it." She said. She laid the body back down and began her examination. She did the exact same as she did with the first victim, and still could not find anything to point to a cause of death. She sighed as she completed her examination and found nothing.

"Problem?" Adachi's voice sounded strained. She glanced over at him.

"There will be if you decide to pass out right there." She said, smiling at him blushing. "The big issue is like with our first victim, there's no obvious cause of death. It's like the heart of this healthy teenager just decided to stop for no reason. Like everything just switched off." She sighed and began putting the organs back into the corpse. She then began to sew up her incisions. As she did, shouting came from down the corridor. "That'll be her parents." She said. "Keep them occupied for now whilst I finish up here. As soon as I'm done, I'll come and get them." She said. She watched as she left before glancing back down at the corpse beneath her. "Who did this to you?"


	5. New Gossip

Saki Konishi's father paced up and down the corridor as Shi walked towards them. Her mother sat on a chair, hugging herself and another child, a young boy most likely Saki's younger brother sat beside her, staring at the wall. All three of them looked up as she walked forward. "You can come see her now." She said before leading them to the autopsy room.

She stopped them near the fridge where she had stored their daughter. She faced them, watching each of them carefully. "Now, I will warn you that it is painful to see a family member in such a state. And whilst you will want to be strong, if you feel ill or faint, please let either myself or Detectives Dojima or Adachi know and we can escort you out." She said. They just waited. She sighed and opened the door before pulling the tray out to reveal their daughter. The mother started to sob again as she looked down at her daughter. Shi had pulled the cover up to her neck to hide the stitching, the ones around her head hidden by her hairline.

"What caused it?" Shi almost didn't register the question. The father looked up at her, his arm around his wife. Shi glanced at Dojima, wanting to know if she should tell them. Dojima stepped forward.

"Because Dr Tawakemono hasn't completed her analysis yet, she cannot reveal a cause of death as of this moment." He explained. They looked from him to her. "Once Dr Tawakemono has an official cause of death, you will be informed before anyone else." He said. They nodded slowly.

"We need to contact the school." His wife said. Her husband nodded. Shi stepped forward.

"If you'd rather not do this, either myself or one of the detectives will contact the school on your behalf." Shi said. They glanced at each other before nodding, granting their approval. As they left with Dojima, she sighed before sliding the tray back into its place and shutting the door.

"Do you often offer to contact others in place of the family?" Adachi asked her. She laughed softly.

"It's a rare occurrence. But no parent should have to bury their child." She turned to him. "I've never encountered a case like this before. And I don't want you to repeat this to anyone but this killer is brilliant." He tilted his head and frowned. She continued. "They have discovered a method of murder that leaves no trace. The ultimate forensic counter. I want to know where they discovered this method. And I want to know how to counter it." She said before turning and walking to her office. She picked up the phone and connected to the operator. Adachi followed and watched her silently.

"Good morning, this is Dr Tawakemono. I was wondering if you could connect me to Yasogami high school." She paused as she was put on hold whilst being connected. She twirled the phone cord in her fingers as she was connected to the school.

"Good Morning, Yasogami High School office, how may I help you?" A female voice said.

"Good Morning, my name is Dr Shi Tawakemono. I'm the resident pathologist for Inaba's police department. I need to speak with the principal over an issue regarding one of your students." She was told to wait a moment whilst she was transferred through to the principal. Eventually, an elderly male voice answered.

"It is unusual for us to receive a call from the police, Tawakemono-sensei." The man said. "To what do we owe this unique opportunity?"

"I'm afraid I'm calling on behalf of Miss Saki Konishi's family. I need you to inform the pupils that Miss Konishi has sadly passed away." She said. A deep sigh emerged from the other end.

"I understand. May I ask as to the cause?"

"I can't give you that information without the police and parent's permission." Shi said. "All I can say is that I ask you to merely repeat what I have said in that Miss Konishi has sadly passed away. I do not want any rumours flying around." She explained before bidding goodbye and hanging the phone up. She placed her head on her arms atop her desk.

"This is really bothering you isn't it?" Adachi asked her, moving closer to her.

"Like I said, a parent should never have to bury their child. But it works the other way. A young child should never have to bury their parents or older siblings." She sighed. "I'll start working on those samples I took for toxicological analysis, but I'm not confident." She slowly picked up the samples and walked towards her labs. She analysed her samples using the different techniques available to her. Unbeknownst, Adachi had followed and was watching her. She sat by a computer and programmed her chromatographs and spectrometers to analyse her samples. She leaned back in the seat and rubbed her eyes.

"Shi-san?" She jumped slightly and turned to face him. "I know this is rather unusual but whilst you're waiting for the analysis to complete, would you like to come with me for a bite to eat?" He asked her.

"I have to stay with these in case something goes wrong." He looked a little saddened by this. "But once I've got the results, I can go with you." She said with a small smile. He brightened up slightly. She glanced at the clock on her computer to see it was already slipping into the afternoon. Her stomach gave an angry grumble as she waited for her analyses to be complete.

"So, what exactly are you doing?" He asked her, moving closer to see the computer screen.

"Trying to avoid Dojima-san?" She asked. He didn't respond which made her chuckle. She turned back to the screen. "I'm looking to see if there are any toxins present in the samples I took. These could be organic or inorganic." She watched the spectras being produced. "But by the looks of it, I'm not going to find anything." She sighed. A beep sounded to indicate the end of her tests. She printed off the spectra. She read through them before frowning. "Nothing. She's clean." She got to her feet and headed off to the offices of the police. She dropped the results on Dojima's desk, which was empty at the moment. "I'll explain them to him when we come back." She said before walking out with Adachi.

As they left, some of the people in the reception and just outside the entrance watched. "They've been spending alot of time together." A housewife said, sensing a new source of gossip. Her friend nodded.

"I mean, if they are working on the case, I'd understand but apparently, Shi gave him a lift home the other day." She murmured. The two of them continued to gossip as they waited for their husbands. Shi had heard the first parts of the murmurs but she chose to ignore it. She was used to others gossiping behind her back. Instead, she got in the car with Adachi and waited as they drove off for something to eat.


	6. A false hope

Shi sat, staring up at the overcast sky as she waited. Adachi was busy ordering their food, having dragged her to Junes. People moved past, gossiping about the deaths. She sat up, her back beginning to ache, and looked at the crowds. One thing that caught her eye was the three high school students who walked past. There were two boys, one with silver hair and the other a brunette. The third was a girl with short brown hair. She watched them head towards the electronic department just as Adachi returned.

"What are you looking at?" He asked. She shook her head.

"It's nothing." She murmured. He placed the tray he was carrying down on the table before sitting down opposite her. She glanced at what he had brought for them before grabbing her order and taking a bite. He continued to watch her. "Ok, I'm just thinking. Why did the killer go after Saki Konishi and the reporter? Did they have personal ties? Is there something we're missing?" She sighed and put her food down. "The only connection we can see between them is Namatame. But he's got an alibi."

"Maybe the alibi is fake?" Adachi said. Shi shook her head.

"We checked that. It all fits. The alibi is secure." Shi sighed. "I'm at a complete loss as of what to do." She ran her hand through her hair. "But the worst part of it is I have not only the victims' families hounding me for information but the chief, the press and my own family as well." She shook her head and forced a smile. "But you needn't concern yourself with that." She said.

"What do you mean your own family? Why is it their concern?" He asked, putting down his food. Shi sighed.

"Ever since it appeared on the news that I was the pathologist on this case, my family have thought about one thing. If they appear sweet and caring, I will give them information on the case before it is released to the news. They're some of the biggest gossips around so this is a dream for them." She explained. "Of course, as is expected of me, I have kept mum upon the subject. Which really annoys them and leaves me open to abuse." She sighed again before shaking her head. "Like I said, you needn't concern yourself with it. Some new story will emerge and they'll gossip about that." She stretched before pausing.

"What is it?" Adachi asked. Shi suddenly slapped herself on the forehead.

"I'm such an idiot!" She said. She laughed and turned to him. "If Saki Konishi has similar bruising on her like our previous victim, I can check for possible DNA!" She spun to face him. "We need to get back to the station." She quickly turned and headed out of the food court, Adachi chasing after her.

As they entered the station, Dojima walked past. "Where have you two been?" He asked as Shi sped past him, pulling her white coat on.

"Searching for a breakthrough." She said as she headed into the morgue, Adachi and Dojima both following. They watched as she opened the fridge which contained Saki. "Damn, the bruising hasn't developed yet." Shi murmured. She shut the fridge and moved over to a bench before pulling a paper bag towards her. She examined the paper on the bag and picked up some scissors.

"Shi-san, what are you doing?" Dojima sighed, his patience obviously wearing thin. She glanced up at him.

"You want to get home? Well, I'm nearly done, I just need to collect this sample." She explained, cutting the bag and slipping on a pair of gloves before carefully removing a blouse from the bag. "This blouse belonged to our reporter friend. I'm swabbing it for DNA. We have our victim but if I find some that doesn't match her DNA, I may have our killer." She explained. She swabbed the upper arms of the blouse sleeves before re-sealing the tube with tape and writing on it. "I'll set this up for amplification then continue on it once that's complete." She said. Her eyes sparkled with the delight of a possible counter to the suspect. "I may have you now you son of a bitch." She murmured.

Dojima watched her move around her lab. "You really think we may have him?" He asked.

"We may have an opportunity. Obviously I can't tell you who the killer is. I can only give you a likelihood of it being a specific person." She explained. "But it's a start." She said. She moved over to a separate lab and began to work on the samples. She ran around like a child in a sweet shop, donning all the gear she needed to keep the samples as pure as possible. She quickly separated out any cells that may have been left on the blouse and began to move to separate the DNA from the cells. After she had done all of that, she moved to amplify it. As she inserted it into the PCR machine, she sighed. This part usually took a while. She moved to make sure she had prepared the remaining parts for her analysis. They watched her as she ran around the lab, trying to get what may be their only piece of evidence. As the quantification of the DNA finished, she quickly completed the final steps before running the sample.

Once she had completed that, she removed the gel that she had ran the samples on and moved them to a new machine. She shut the door and viewed the computer next to it before selecting a file from nearby. As she looked between the two, Adachi and Dojima looked at the computer monitor. To them, it just looked like a series of light blobs on a dark background. A sigh emerged from Shi as she set the image to print off her computer. She walked over to a white board nearby.

"This is our known DNA sample. The sample from our victim." She said, pinning the photo of the DNA from the file to the board. "And this is what I just got from the blouse." She added, pinning the second photo to the board. The two images matched. Shi looked defeated, staring sadly at the two images. Dojima sighed softly.

"So our victim's DNA is the only one present?" He asked. She nodded sadly. All that work for nothing. She moved through to her office as Dojima shook his head and walked away, most likely heading home. Adachi watched him before going into the office to see Shi sitting with her head in her hands. She seemed so distraught by this.

"Hey, it's not so bad." Adachi said softly. "Ok, so you didn't get DNA. But at least you realised it." He added, trying to cheer her up.

"It's not that it failed that's the problem." She said. "It's that two people have been murdered, and we have nothing to say to reassure the public of their safety. We have nothing, I have nothing." A knock made her look up as Dojima walked into her office.

"Listen, I know it's difficult but you need to take a break Shi. Why not come and see Nanako?" He asked. Shi looked at her desk again before nodding. Dojima turned to Adachi.

"You should come along as well." He added. Shi got to her feet and followed Dojima out of her office and out of the morgue. She was glad he had suggested this. She was growing tired of looking at the dead today.


	7. Loneliness and Happiness

Shi followed Dojima in her car, listening to the strings of a quartet as they drove to Dojima's house. From what he had told her, his nephew was staying with him whilst his parents were away. She smiled softly as she pulled in to park in front of his home. Adachi had declined Dojima's invitation, saying he wanted to get home before it rained and the fog set in. As she followed him inside, Shi heard a familiar female voice call eagerly out to Dojima. She stepped inside, slipping her shoes of by the door and putting some slippers on in their place.

"Hi Nanako-chan." Shi smiled as she entered, moving until she stood beside Dojima. Nanako smiled happily when she saw her, moving from behind the silver haired teen that sat by the table.

"Shi-chan." Nanako said happily. She moved forward and hugged Shi's legs.

"Man, it feels like ages since I last saw you. How's school going? You going to follow in my footsteps?" Shi joked. Nanako smiled happily and nodded, pulling Shi towards the table to begin explaining.

"Shi-san, this is my nephew. Narukami Yu." Dojima said, indicating to the silver haired teen. "Yu, this Dr Tawakemono Shi. She's the pathologist for us here at Inaba." Dojima explained. Yu raised his hand and held it out to her, smiling softly.

"It's nice to meet you, Tawakemono-Sensei." He said. She looked him up and down momentarily before taking his hand and shaking it.

"Same to you Yu-kun." She said, smiling softly. Dojima walked over as Shi took a seat on the sofa near the table.

"Shi-chan, can I get you anything to drink?" Nanako asked her, standing in front of her. Shi smiled and shook her head softly.

"I don't plan on staying too late. I just wanted to come and see how you were doing Nanako-chan." Shi said. Yu glanced from Dojima to Shi, obviously wanting to ask a question.

"Tawakemono-Sensei, if you're the pathologist that works for Inaba, then are you the one who..."

"Performed the autopsies of the victims of these murders?" Shi finished for him. Yu nodded. "I did. But as I have said to the numerous news crews, I cannot give you any information with regards to this case. An official statement will be released by my office when the police deem it suitable." She explained to him. He didn't seem concerned by this though. Shi paused as Nanako walked past her again.

"Was it your office that informed my school about Saki Konishi's death?" Yu asked her. Shi glanced at Dojima before nodding.

"Her family asked me to." She said. She glanced at her watch on her wrist before getting to her feet. "I apologise for my flying visit, but I must be heading home. If I don't go now, I'm going to get stuck in the fog and I'll never make it home." Shi apologised as she began walking to the door. Nanako followed her, watching as Shi replaced her slippers for her shoes. She turned and gave Nanako a hug, crouching to her level.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow Dojima-san." Shi said as she straightened up. Dojima nodded, standing near the stairs as Yu walked to stand beside him. "It was nice meeting you Yu-kun."

"Same to you Tawakemono-sensei." Yu replied.

"Bye Nanako-chan." Shi waved as she walked out of the door. She heard Nanako call bye as she left. Shi smiled, shaking her head as she got into her car. As she did, her phone went off. She lifted it to see a new message. It was from a number she didn't recognise. She quickly read it.

_Shi-san, this is Adachi. Dojima-san gave me your mobile number and I thought I should give you mine. Also, if it's not too much trouble, could I get a lift to work tomorrow? _She let out a light laugh as she imagined him looking sheepish whilst sending this. She quickly dialled his number, waiting in her car whilst he answered.

"_Hello? Shi-san?_"

"Hi Adachi-kun." She said, the honorific slipping off her tongue sub-consciously. "I got your message. Thank you for letting me know your number." She heard him clear his throat at the other end.

"_It's no problem Shi-san_."

"And it's no trouble. I will give you a lift in tomorrow. Is it ok if I pick you up at 7?" She asked him.

"_Yeah, that's great. Thank you Shi-san. I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night Shi-chan._" Shi paused as he changed the honorific. He didn't appear to have noticed.

"Goodnight Adachi-kun." She said, smiling softly. She hung up and put her phone down to turn on her car engine. As she slipped on her seatbelt, she caught her reflection in the rear-view mirror. She had a light in her eyes and a smile she hadn't seen for years. She quickly turned away and drove to her home. As she stepped inside, she locked her door, still smiling. Her phone vibrated again as another message appeared on her phone.

_Thank you for agreeing to take me into work tomorrow. I'll find some way to pay you back. Goodnight._ Adachi's new message read. Shi felt her smile grow more. She moved through her home, slipping her shoes off before heading to the kitchen. She grabbed a can of soda and a ready-made ramen bowl. As she heated it and waited for it to cook, she switched on her TV. A news report appeared on the screen, talking about the murders. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Her home phone rang suddenly, startling her. She hopped to her feet and answered it.

"Dr Tawakemono speaking." She said. She immediately regretted answering the phone.

"_Shi-san? Oh finally, I've been ringing you all day but you never answered. How are you?_" Her cousin's voice rang through the phone. Shi sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What do you want Akiko? I've already told Obaasan that I can't tell you anything about this case." A pause sounded on the other end. "Which is exactly why you rang isn't it?"

"_Come on Shi-san! I would tell you if I was the pathologist!_"

"It's illegal! I would lose my job if I told you!"

"_You're so selfish! You've always been this way! You spend way too much time around those dead bodies! You're becoming a freak Shi, just like your parents!_"

Shi froze when her parents were mentioned. She took a deep breath. "Listen here and pass this message onto Obaasan. I will never tell you anything about this case. So stop calling me and pestering me or I will have you both arrested for harassment! Stay out of my life!" She yelled before hanging up the phone. As she put it back into place, she slid to the ground. She sighed softly, feeling her eyes sting. She didn't want this anymore. The news continued its report, talking to the daughter of the owner of the inn the first victim stayed at. Shi looked at it blankly as the weight of everything fell on her.

For the first time since her grandfather's death, Shi felt a crushing loneliness take over. Her phone vibrated on the table. She looked at it before getting to her feet. She read the messages on it, feeling the loneliness fade. It was Adachi again. He was making suggestions for how he could pay her back. She smiled softly at the messages.

"Maybe, things aren't so bad." She murmured to herself. "Perhaps they're looking up for me." She mused. Little did she know how wrong that statement would be.


	8. The first disappearance

Shi stifled a yawn as she drove to Adachi's home. She hadn't slept well that previous night. Her mind had been bothered by the phone call. She sighed and parked her car before sending Adachi a message. As she waited, she watched the world outside go by. Her mind was filled with possible ideas for cause of death for the victims. But none were proven. Then the rumour that was flying around entered her head. The mysterious "Midnight Channel" as the high school children called it. Given the right set of circumstances, your TV would tune into this channel and show you your soulmate. She sighed heavily as the passenger side door opened.

"Good Morning Adachi-kun." She said as she set off for work.

"Good morning." He yawned in response. "Hey, have you heard that rumour about the midnight channel?" He asked her.

"Yes. But frankly I find it to be one of those things like bloody Mary. You know, a urban legend." She said. He nodded, seeing her reasoning. She glanced at him as they were stopped at traffic lights. "Why? Do you think that has a connection to our murders?" She asked. He shrugged. "So far, the only real connection we have is Namatame. But he has a secure alibi. The only other possible link is the inn our first victim stayed at. The daughter of the manager goes to the same school as our second victim." She began.

"And the manager of the inn collapsed due to stress from our first victim's stay there." Adachi added. Shi nodded.

"But that isn't a proven connection. Besides, I can't see a teenage girl having the strength to carry a body up to a aerial to hang upside down." She explained. They stopped talking about it as they pulled into the station parking lot. He tapped her arm and pointed to a dark van with blacked out windows.

"Looks like you've got a new friend to meet." He said. She raised her eyebrow at him before stepping out of the car. One of the two men inside walked over to her whilst the other wheeled in a gurney with a black bag on top.

"We have a 79 year old male from the hospital. Cause of death was registered as a cardiac arrest with a DNR. They just want the normal autopsy Tawakemono-Sensei." He explained. Shi nodded in response. The man nodded towards her car. "Have you given up on the motorcycle?"

"No. Just never have the time now. Besides, it's easier to transport my med kit in a car." She said. He chuckled and walked off as she walked in with Adachi. She saw him staring at her. "Don't give me that look. My dad rode, my uncles ride and my grandfather rode. It's as much a part of my family as death is." She explained. She walked with him to his desk where he immediately got punched in the head by Dojima.

"Where have you been!? Slacking off huh!?" Dojima snapped. "Get back to work." He yelled. Adachi grimaced at Shi as she began to head towards her office, only to receive a second blow to the head.

As Shi worked on the new cadavers, the chief walked in. She looked up at him, wiping her hands after removing her gloves. "Good day Sir. It's unusual for you to grace my office, why are you here?" She asked.

"I need you to do something for me but keep it quiet." He said. She looked confused. "We just got a call from the Amagi inn. Apparently the manager's daughter has gone missing. Go check it but try not to attract attention." He told her.

"I will sir. But it will be difficult. I do attract attention." She said. He merely shook his head and walked out. She sighed and finished her autopsy before grabbing her kit and heading to the amagi inn. When she arrived, a flustered member of staff greeted her.

"We don't know what happened. One minute she was just going to answer the door and the next. She's gone." The woman said. Shi nodded and wrote what the woman had said in a notebook.

"OK, well I'm going to examine where she was last seen. Then I will head back to the station. An officer will be by later for an official statement." She explained. She quickly moved to the front door, the area closed off from guests, staff and public alike. Shi moved around, taking photos, collecting samples and lifting footprints. She sighed as she sealed and filled out the form for the final footprint she lifted. There were so many it was going to be impossible to distinguish them. She quickly headed back towards the station.

When she arrived back, she saw Yu with a brown haired boy speaking with Adachi. Yu noticed and waved as she walked over.

"Tawakemono-Sensei, how are you?" He said softly with a smile.

"Good day Yu-kun. What have you been up to?" She asked. She turned to the brunette who was staring in surprise. "Forgive me. I am Tawakemono Shi, the pathologist for Inaba. And you are?" She asked.

"Oh, uh. Hanamura Yosuke." He said.

"Oh, your father runs the Junes here right? Nanako-chan taught me the song." Shi smiled.

"They're here because they were spotted by a uniformed officer with weapons at Junes food court." Adachi explained. "But they got off lightly with a warning because Dojima-san was here. Oh, you're friends with that Amagi girl right?" He suddenly asked. Shi immediately turned to him.

"Adachi...don't say anything." She warned.

"No, but they might know why she's disappeared. Was she upset or angered by anything recently? Has she seemed strange?" He asked.

"Yukiko-san has disappeared?!" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah, Shi-chan was just at the inn..." Adachi yelped as Shi smacked him on the back of the head.

"That's enough! It's nothing for civilians to be worried about. The poor girl has probably gone to get some privacy and peace after everything that has happened." She said. She grabbed Adachi by his ear and dragged him off, leaving Yu and Yosuke.

"Ah! Shi-chan! That hurts!" He whined as she dragged him down to her lab.

"Be glad I dragged you away before Dojima-san found out. Do you wanna know what happens when civilians get involved in cases like this?" Shi asked. She walked over to the fridge that contained Saki. "This is what happens. They end up with me because they try to help and get hurt. We need to keep this between police OK? Prove to everyone you're a great officer by not running your mouth." Shi said. He glanced at the fridge before nodding. Shi smiled at him. She turned, humming to herself as he went to leave.

"~Everyday's great at your Junes~." She sang softly. He heard her pause as the doors to her lab went to shut. "Goddamnit, now that's stuck in my head!"


	9. Doubt and Aggression

_Ok, this chapter isn't exactly the best and has hints of activities of a sexual nature. But it is pretty much serving as filler. And I wanted to give a reason for Adachi and Shi to have a relationship that went beyond the usual professional standard. So, after a night of drinking, this happens. But don't worry, it will build into a more romantic relationship as the fiction progresses. As for reviews that have been left, first of all thank you for taking the time to read my work and leave a review._

_ Second, with regards to what will happen to Shi. I plan to, without giving too much away and also spoilers, have her see the truth either after Kanji's kidnapping or after Rise's. If any of you have a preference, then let me know. I figure I may go with having it after Rise but before the encounter with Mitsuo. But I may change it. Anyway, until next time._

* * *

Shi sighed as she processed the evidence she had collected. There was nothing to suggest that Yukiko had been kidnapped. There was also nothing to suggest that she hadn't been kidnapped. But because of how many people would leave and enter the inn each and every day, she couldn't get any decent results. She ran her hand through her hair and sat back. This was impossible. She shook her head and got to her feet. As she turned, Dojima entered her lab.

"You found anything yet?" He asked her. Shi shook her head as more papers printed out and machinery beeped all around her.

"Because so many people pass through that inn door, I can't distinguish one set from another. And even if I could, the list would be as long as my arm at least." She sighed. She heard the doors at the other end of the morgue open. Dojima sighed, looking over her.

"Shi-san, you need to rest. One of the other guys in the lab can analyse the evidence you collect." He said. Shi shook her head, getting to her feet.

"I'm fine. Even without evidence to analyse, I have autopsies to perform." She insisted. It had been half a day since Yukiko had vanished, and the entire force was doing their hardest to keep the whole thing secret. But news crews kept hanging around, wanting to beat each other for the latest news about the murders. She sighed as she thought about having to release an official statement.

"Have you decided what you're going to say in your statement?" Dojima asked. Shi looked at him, walking towards the morgue to see what had arrived. Two funeral directors stood by the door. They had come for one of the hospital patients. She opened the fridge the body was in and pulled him out.

"I have. But I am not going to reveal what it is to anyone just in case." She said. She glanced at the clock before sighing. "I have nothing else to do for today. I've analysed what I can so I'm going for a drink. Wanna join me?" She asked him.

"I'm would but I'm just going straight home." He said. She smiled as they walked out of the morgue. He waited whilst she put her stuff in her locker and grabbed her bag and keys. She followed him to his desk where Adachi sat up and stretched.

"Phew! Finally done." He sighed. Shi chuckled softly as he looked pleased with himself.

"Adachi, would you care to join me for a few drinks?" Shi asked. He paused then nodded.

"Sure. Why not?" He said, grinning goofily. She laughed and walked with him out of the station.

"I'll just drop my car at home then we'll go ok?" She explained as she climbed into the driver's seat. He nodded and went with her to her home before walking to a nearby pub. The owner slipped some drinks towards them, nodding in Shi's direction.

After a few hours, a few drinks had turned into many. The empty glasses and bottles sat around them. Shi leant against the bar as the owner put some shots in front of them. Adachi wobbled slightly, laughing softly.

"This is fun Shi-chan." He said. She laughed in response, picking up a shot glass. The two of them downed the shot, Adachi falling backwards. Shi snorted with laughter and got down from her chair.

"Come on. Let's go." She said, staggering slightly. The two of them staggered back to her home, laughing occasionally. As she got to her home, he draped his arms over her.

"You're so warm Shi-chan." He sighed. He pressed his cheek against hers as she opened her door.

"Oh, thank you." She replied. She laughed softly and walked in, Adachi following her. She shut her door and walked over with him to her sofa. She laughed as he tripped, falling onto the sofa and pulling her with him. The two of them laughed together.

"I think I'm falling for you." Shi murmured, her head resting on his chest. He didn't respond, instead lifting her face up. He gave her one of his goofy smiles before kissing her. Immediately, her mind tried to make sense of it. But the alcohol had soaked in and all common sense had left her. She kissed him back, their minds losing all rational thought and instead succumbing to animal instinct.

"I think I'm falling for you to." He murmured breathlessly between their kisses. His arms embraced her waist, pulling her closer. She pushed herself up to her feet, pulling him with her. Shi led him to her bedroom, delicate kisses decorating every step.

Desperate hands drunkenly tugged at clothing, pulling it away to expose heated skin. Shi felt more at peace with him than she had with anyone else. He paused, looking down on her pale skin as the realisation of what was about to happen sunk in.

"Are you sure?" He asked her. Shi nodded, her arms around his neck.

"I'm sure. I need you Adachi." She said breathlessly. He nodded and slowly entered her, biting into her shoulder. Shi gasped as he bit her, not expecting it. She bit her lip as he began to move, pulling his teeth out of her shoulder. He looked at her before kissing her again, biting her lip. She was surprised. He never seemed this aggressive at work. Shi decided to mimic his aggression. She scratched his back, her nails leaving red welts in their wake. Heated gasps and pants echoed through her bedroom. Aggressive touches were countered with delicate movements. And when it hit its peak, both felt sparks that hadn't ignited for many moons dance.

In the darkness, as night slipped to the crimson dawn, Shi watched Adachi sleep. She smiled, feeling the weight of his arm draped over her hips. True, they couldn't tell anyone yet. It would be considered unprofessional. But Shi couldn't deny that she felt happier with him then she had any other day. She brushed a stray strand of hair from his sleeping face and pressed closer to him. She knew there would be marks of their passionate aggression. But they could be hidden. But as she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't shake a horrible feeling.

A feeling that before this investigation was over, all would be laid bare before the public. And judgement would be unforgiving.


	10. Found romance

_So I came to a decision. After much consideration, I decided to have Shi be kidnapped after Kanji. I had thought about having her disappear after Rise but changed my mind. Mainly because I figured that I could have Shi refuse to believe it until Rise is kidnapped and she joins the gang in saving her._

* * *

When Shi awoke the next day, she smiled as she saw Adachi still asleep beside her. Her alarm hadn't gone off yet, so he hadn't been disturbed yet. But as she rolled over to get up she felt nausea take over. This was always the result when she drank. She never suffered from a headache, but instead would have to endure terrible nausea. She sprinted to her bathroom and vomited, her alarm going off as she emptied the alcohol from the previous night into her toilet. She heard Adachi groan and listened to her alarm being switched off. Shi quickly pulled a dressing gown from the back of her bathroom door and put it on before tying it and walking through.

"Morning Shi-chan." Adachi said, rubbing his eyes. "Umm...so...do you remember about...last night?" He asked.

"I do. And I had fun with you." Shi said, blushing. She sat on the bed and looked at him. "Since my parents death, I have always followed my brain rather than my heart. But, now they're both saying the same thing. I... Love you Adachi." Shi admitted. "I thought it may just have been friendship, or admiration. But this...the way I feel around you. The chemicals that run through my blood and dance in my brain prove that it is love." She looked up to see him giving her that goofy grin.

"So, does this mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend now?" He asked.

"We're not teenagers Adachi. But yeah." She smiled. She smiled more as he moved closer to kiss her quickly. For once, her morning was a joyful event, filled with embraces, brief kisses and whispered words. As they drove to the station, Shi glanced at him. "Maybe, we should keep this quiet to begin with. Just to stop rumours." She said. Adachi nodded.

Upon arriving at the station, Shi headed towards the morgue whilst Adachi walked towards his desk. Shi set to work, performing her autopsies for the day. It was late in the afternoon when she was finished. As she signed her notes and moved the body into the fridge to be prepared to sent to the funeral home when Dojima ran into her morgue.

"You're never going to believe this. But Yukiko Amagi has returned." He said.

"What? Where is she?" Shi asked.

"Back at the Amagi inn. Apparently she was found on the top of Junes." He explained. Shi stared at him in surprise. She spun and grabbed her bag before heading towards the inn. Yukiko looked up at her, Adachi writing in his notebook.

"Miss Amagi, do you recall anything?" Shi asked. Yukiko shook her head. "Right, then may I borrow your kimono? I will take it to the lab, see if we can recover anything from it." She said. Shi watched silently as the girl nodded and went to change her kimono. As she pulled her gloves on and sealed the bag she placed the kimono in, her mind ran wild with possible explanations.

As she walked out with Adachi, the two exchanged small glances and secretive smiles. Back at the station, Shi sent the kimono to the lab before turning to Adachi. "So, what do you think?" She asked.

"There isn't much that would serve us in terms of trying to get a prosecution. The connections between her and the two victims are circumstantial at best." He sighed as he read through his notes.

"True. But even then I highly doubt she did it. I doubt Miss Amagi has it in her to kill a fly, let alone another person. So we're right back to square one. No motive, no cause of death, no evidence and no suspect." Shi sighed. They both turned as a door opened to show Dojima.

"Oh, are you two finished? I was just about to head home. Care to join me?" He asked. Both of them glanced at each other before nodding.

"Sure. I could do with a distraction." Shi said. She and Adachi followed Dojima back to his house, stopping only for Dojima to grab some food for dinner. As they entered, Nanako smiled at Shi.

"Hi Shi-chan! Are you joining us for dinner?" She asked.

"We both are Nanako-chan." Shi smiled. Adachi appeared behind her and waved, making Nanako run and hide beside Yu.

"Tawakemono-Sensei. Adachi-san, it's good to see you again." Yu said softly. Both of them nodded.

"Sorry Shi-chan, you'll have to share a spot with this fool." Dojima said to her whilst Adachi spoke to Yu. He was about to spill some important information when Dojima punched him in the side of his head. Shi rolled her eyes and sat down.

"Yu-kun, you wouldn't happen to know any possible reason as to why miss Amagi went missing do you?" She asked. Yu paused, looking away for a few moments. Shi raised an eyebrow when Nanako touched her sleeve.

"Are you talking about scary things?" She asked softly. Shi and Adachi both shook their heads.

"No scary talk OK Nanako-chan?" Shi asked with a soft smile. Nanako nodded happily before looking at the dinner Dojima had bought. As they ate and chatted softly Nanako kept looking at Shi and Adachi.

"Adachi-san, do you like Shi-chan?" She suddenly asked. Adachi and Shi both glanced at her.

"Of course I do, she's a good friend." He replied. Shi smiled as she took a drink from the mug she had on the table.

"No, I mean do you 'like' her?" Nanako asked. "Do you love her?" Shi's eyes widened as she coughed, her drink slipping down her trachea. She hunched over, coughing for breath whilst Adachi blushed and stammered. Dojima was looking at both of them intently, as was Yu.

"Adachi-kun and I are just good friends Nanako-chan." Shi coughed. Nanako nodded softly. They ate the remaining food before Shi and Adachi stood. "I'll drop Adachi off at his home. You stay and relax Dojima-san. We'll see you at work tomorrow." She said. Dojima nodded silently.

"Bye Nanako-chan, bye Yu-kun." They both waved from the door. Both Nanako and Yu waved them off. As Shi drove them away, laughter began to fill the car.

"Oh, that was too close." Adachi sighed, leaning back in the seat. "I thought we were going to be caught." He added. Shi laughed softly.

"Can you imagine how Dojima would have reacted?" Shi asked. They laughed as she pulled up outside his home. He glanced at it before looking at her.

"Would it be presumptuous of me to ask for a good night kiss?" He asked with a grin. She chuckled, shaking her head. He frowned before jumping as she grabbed his tie. He grinned as she pulled him into a kiss, his hands moving towards her. After a few moments they broke apart, breathing heavily.

"Give me a few moments to get some things. I'll be back." He said. Shi watched him run inside, tripping over his doormat. After a few moments, he came back out with a small bag and climbed back in. "Overnight bag." He explained. Shi grinned and headed back to her home with him. They quickly headed into her house, Shi struggling to open her door as Adachi wrapped his arms around her and kept kissing her neck. As she locked her door, Adachi pulled her upstairs, kissing her constantly. As time ticked by to midnight, neither of them noticed her TV switching itself on.


	11. Speeches and strangers

Shi sighed as she read over the speech she had written to announce to the public. She looked up as the chief walked in. He looked down at her desk and sighed.

"Are you sure about your decision here Shi? I don't think the public will be happy." He asked her.

"It is the best option. I think it would be better to do this." She said. "I will release it in a few days." She added. She stood and hid the speech in her drawer, locking it afterwards. She followed the chief out of her office and began to head towards the suite.

"Shi, do you have any explanation as to the cause of death yet?" He asked her suddenly. Shi shook her head sadly. He frowned and sighed. "Well, so long as there are no more kidnappings, we should be OK." She nodded before dressing in her scrubs. She walked into the suite and began her work for the day.

As she finished her final autopsy of the morning, Adachi knocked on the door to the suite. "Hey, wanna go grab a bite to eat? That is, if he's finished with you." He asked, nodding to her patient on the table. She chuckled and pulled down her surgical mask.

"Sure. Just let me stitch him up and we'll go." She said. She quickly sewed the patient shut and put him in a cooler. She stripped off her scrubs. "Did the chief tell you about my speech?" She asked him.

"He said you have one. But he said he doesn't know what's in it. He said you were keeping it secret." He said. He smiled as she stepped out of the suite. He glanced around before kissing her briefly. She smiled shyly and walked off with him. As they did, a cold feeling entered her gut that this was still very far from over.

As they ate, Shi heard her phone go off. "Tawakemono." She said as she answered it.

"Tawakemono-sensei, is Detective Adachi with you? There's been another kidnapping." The voice at the other end said.

"You're kidding me!" She said, getting to her feet. Adachi looked up at her. "Who was it? Wait, Tatsumi? As in the one who fought with the biker gangs? Ok, right. I'll go to the store with him now. I'll meet crime scene there." She hung up her phone. "We need to go to the material store." She said. She headed towards the store, Adachi following behind her. As he took a statement, she watched crime scene process the scene.

"It's the exact same. He seemed to go out then vanished." Adachi sighed as he walked over to her. Shi sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"This is impossible." She murmured. The two of them stood aside as the crime scene team left. "Looks like we're in for a long few days." She murmured. They both paused as a young boy suddenly walked up to them.

"Tawakemono-sensei I presume." They said, looking up at her. Shi looked over the stranger.

"Yes. But who are you?" She asked in response.

"I'm Naoto Shirogane. I was asked here by the chief inspector to come and help your investigation. I understand that in order to see the bodies of the two victims, I have to be accompanied by you correct? I offer you information about Kanji Tatsumi in exchange." Naoto said. Adachi went to interrupt but Shi stopped him.

"Very well. But I can't show you the bodies themselves. You will have to make do with my reports." She said firmly. She watched the young stranger consider it momentarily. "Even if you are a detective, without the permission of the victims' families, I am not allowed to show you the bodies." She explained. Adachi nodded his head in agreement.

"Very Well. Should I meet you in the morgue?" Naoto asked.

"I will bring the reports to you." She said. Before Naoto could respond, Shi walked off with Adachi. The two of them headed back to the police station. Shi gathered her reports and headed to the main area. Naoto watched as she walked in and handed over her reports. Silence reigned as the reports were read.

"You still haven't identified a cause of death? Did you perform all the correct analytical tests?" Naoto questioned. Shi bit back a angered response.

"All the correct pathological tests were performed. I even sent the results to a colleague of mine with many years of experience. He came to the same conclusions I did." Shi retorted. Naoto put the reports down and walked off. Shi kept her anger under control but Dojima was fuming in anger.

"What right does that kid have to call us out on our work?" He snapped.

"Let's not focus on that right now. We have a missing boy we need to locate." The chief said, trying to keep them calm. Shi rolled her eyes and walked away, pausing only to pick up her reports.

"If this is our same unknown subject, then the boy may repeat what Miss Amagi did and return to us in a few days." She said.

As if she had predicted it, Kanji Tatsumi returned approximately three days later. Shi sat opposite him, listening to his story.

"And you don't remember seeing your assailant?" Adachi asked him.

"I told ya a hundred times already No!" Kanji snapped. Shi made a note on her own notepad before looking up at Kanji.

"Kanji-kun, can I ask you something? Before you blacked out, was there a strange smell?" She asked. Kanji thought before nodding. Shi wrote something down before standing. "Thank you Kanji-kun, Mrs Tatsumi. A scenes of crime officer will be along to collect your clothing for evidence." She said. She and Adachi bowed before leaving. As they walked towards her car, someone shouted of them.

"Tawakemono-sensei!" Shi turned to see Yu running towards them with his friends. "Tawakemono-sensei, is it true that you are going to give a televised statement?" He asked her.

"One, where did you hear that? Two, why is it so important if I am?" Shi asked. The group glanced at each other. "Do you lot know something? Right, I want to talk with each of you."

"We can't. There's a camping trip coming up this week." Yosuke said.

"Fine. I wanna talk to you all when you come back." Shi said. She got into her car with Adachi and headed off. When they got back, news crews were already beginning to gather.

"You're giving your speech today?" Adachi asked. Shi nodded.

"The disappearance of Kanji put it off. But now I have no reason to put it off. The sooner I get it done, the sooner the shitstorm it stirs up will blow over." Shi sighed. The two of them headed into the station, Shi going to collect her speech. When she stepped out again, all the cameras focused on her.

"Good day. I am Doctor Tawakemono Shi and I am the resident pathologist for Inaba. I am here before you today to give the public an announcement. With regards to the recent events, the pathology department has decided the following. We will not be releasing information with regards to the victims of these events." Outraged cries emerged from the public that had gathered. Questions began to erupt from the press. Shi waited before continuing.

"We in the department agreed that it was in the public's best interest to keep this information private and available only to the victims families should they request it. I understand the outrage of the public but we are doing this with your best interests in mind. That is all, I will not be answering any questions. Thank you." Shi said before leaving the podium. Angered yells and questions followed her as she headed back towards her office. But she couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to spiral out of control.


	12. Midnight Kidnap

Shi frowned as she sat across from the chief. It had been three days since she had made her speech. He sighed before looking up at her.

"I understand this is unusual. But the public has been well..."

"Demanding an explanation as to why I have decided to not release the information?" She asked. He nodded.

"They say they want a reason. I will give them one on your behalf but I need to know why you decided against it." He asked.

"I made the decision to not release the information to the public because of the fact there is so little information. I have no idea how this killer works. This is the ultimate forensic counter. I don't want it shared with the public. But we can't tell them that. So I would say I am keeping the information private to protect the public from possible trauma." Shi explained. The chief nodded and let her go. She walked out of his office and went to head towards the morgue.

"Shi-chan!" Adachi called, running after her. He caught up to her as she walked towards the autopsy suite. "Shi-chan what's wrong?" He asked.

Shi sniffed and sighed. "I think they're starting to question my ability. The chief is going to provide a explanation to the public because they don't understand why I am doing this. But I can't shake the feeling that they think I am the one behind this." She said. Adachi looked around before pulling her into a hug.

"You're not to blame. You're doing the best you can with the evidence you have. You'll solve this then they'll be begging you for forgiveness." He murmured to her. She moved away and smiled as he flashed his grin at her. She nodded and headed towards her office.

"I may not have a cause of death. But I now know that this kidnapper is using chloroform to incapacitate their victims. Which can help." She said, moving some files on her desk. She looked up when there was a knock on the morgue door. A uniformed officer entered, followed by Yu and his friends.

"Excuse me Tawakemono-sensei, they said they were supposed to talk to you." The officer said.

"That's correct. I will speak to them now." Shi said. Adachi nodded to her and left. The group walked into the morgue, looking around. Shi leant against a autopsy table. "So, why was my television appearance a cause of concern with you?" She asked.

The group looked at each other, as if trying to decide what to say. Shi raised an eyebrow at them. Yu sighed and stepped forward. Shi looked at him, her stare intense as she watched them.

"Tawakemono-sensei, have you heard of the midnight channel?" Yu asked her.

"That stupid rumour running around? Why on earth are you asking me about that?" She countered. Yosuke stepped forward.

"Tawakemono-sensei, it's not what you think. The midnight channel does exist. But it's not what the rumours say. It's not your soulmate who appears on it. It's people who have appeared on the TV." He said. Shi tilted her head. "They appeared on the TV, then on the midnight channel then they get kidnapped."

"And, where is your evidence to support this rather unusual claim?" Shi asked. They all looked at each other. "Because without evidence, this is merely a hypothesis." Shi stepped away from the table. "That doesn't explain anything." She watched as the girl with short hair stepped forward.

"We do have proof! It happened to Yukiko and Kanji!" She yelled.

"Chie, getting angry at Tawakemono-sensei won't help." Yukiko murmured.

"But it's going to happen to her!" Chie cried.

"Is that to be taken as a threat? This hypothesis is based purely on circumstantial events. The individual who kidnapped Yukiko may not be the same one who kidnapped Kanji. And if it is the same, they may have been stalking them for a long time. The fact it happened, as you seem so intent to insist, after they appeared on TV is purely coincidental." Shi countered. She slammed her hands down on the table before any of them could speak again.

"Listen, all this is doing is proving you are somehow involved with this. Which I can't allow, and neither will Dojima." Shi looked at Yu. "You're his nephew, he would never forgive himself if something happened to you. And I don't want to have to perform a autopsy on another person whose life is just starting." Shi moved away and tapped the door of the fridge that held Saki. "This is where you will end up if you intervene in this investigation. I know it's difficult but leave this to us." Shi said.

"Tawakemono-sensei, we understand that you are worried about us. But we want to make sure no one else gets hurt. Please just...be careful." Yu said. Shi watched them leave before sighing. She ran her hand through her hair and leant back against the fridges that held her patients. Her eyes closed momentarily as she let out a sigh. She opened her eyes as she heard the doors at the other end of the autopsy suite open. Her work called her. So she walked, to meet her new patient.

Later that day, as she was finishing up for the day, Shi glanced out of the windows on the doors to the back of the suite. The sky looked dark, the rain from earlier in the day have eased slightly to a light drizzle. But she knew it was going to come back with avengance. According to the weather, it would rain until late that night then be foggy until the morning. Shi paused before making her decision. Tonight, she would try the midnight channel.

Shi looked up as she heard someone moving by her office. The chief turned to face her as she walked towards him.

"Are you finished? I thought I would let you know that you don't need to come in to the station unless we get a routine autopsy come in tomorrow." He explained.

"Ok. You'll just phone me if someone does come in?" Shi asked. He nodded in response. Shi nodded in understanding and headed into her office. She gathered her bags and headed out. She walked out, smiling as Adachi moved to her side as she walked to her car.

"Hey. Could I maybe catch a ride home?" He asked sheepishly. Shi chuckled and nodded. He smiled and climbed into the passenger seat of her car.

"So, I have the day off tomorrow, you'll have to make your own way in." Shi smiled. He nodded. "If I don't get called in, do you want me to come and give you a ride home after work?" She asked.

"Sure." He grinned. Shi giggled in response. As they pulled up outside his flat, he looked around before leaning over. They shared a kiss before he left her, pulling his jacket over his head to protect against the rain. Shi watched until the door shut then headed home. Time slowly ticked by as she waited until midnight. The rain pounded at her window. She looked up as her clock struck midnight. Shi sighed and turned to stare at a blank TV.

"Why am I doing this?" She murmured, about to get to her feet. It was then she heard it. The sound of a TV tuning into a channel. She watched as the screen came to life. A shadowy figure appeared on screen. She leant closer as the image crackled and static sounded out of her speakers. The figure on the screen was too pixelated to identify. But, judging from its shape, it did appear to be her. Shi shook her head and rubbed her eyes. As quickly as it appeared, the image faded.

"I'm just seeing things, I'm exhausted." She said to herself. That had to be the reason. Her mind was just playing tricks on her because she was exhausted. Shi shook her head and headed off to bed, wanting to forget about everything. She climbed into her bed and slowly drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were filled with corpses hanging from telephone poles and TV aerials. Of a killer with the perfect counterpart for forensics. Of a shadow wearing a kitsune mask. Shi jumped awake, startled by her dreams. Shi sighed and shook her head. Nightmares were the last thing she needed right now.

Shi slept on and off through the night, the sleep she did get disturbed by nightmares. As daylight broke, she watched people go past, going about their daily business. She sighed, pouring herself another cup of tea. She looked up as she heard her doorbell ring. Shi stood and opened the door. No one was there. She frowned and stepped out, looking around. A van was parked down the street. One of her neighbours must have been getting a delivery.

She turned and began to head back inside when someone grabbed her. Their arm wrapped around her torso and they brought a cloth to her face. She tried not to breathe, pulling forward into her home. She staggered into a table, knocking it to throw it into disarray. She slammed her attacker back into the wall and then into the table, hoping to leave enough evidence. But her strength was waning. She inhaled the fumes on the cloth, her eyes fluttering shut. She fell to the ground, her vision fading. A shadow loomed over her as she faded into darkness.


	13. Circus Channel

The day continued as normal, even with Shi taking the day off. Adachi walked past the morgue, unused to seeing it empty. He sighed and pulled out his phone, deciding to see how she was. It rang through but there was no response. He frowned as he hung up. Maybe it was just because of what happened but the fact she hadn't answered unnerved him. He walked through to the main room of the station, still looking at his phone. Dojima smacked him with a stack of papers.

"If you have enough time to look at your phone, then you can go over the witness statements from the kidnappings. We need to make sure we build a case strong enough to support itself. I don't want all of the crime scene teams hard work gathering evidence to go to waste." He said, dropping the stack of papers that he had used to attack Adachi onto the others desk.

"Dojima-san, you haven't heard off of Shi-chan today have you?" Adachi asked.

"Trying to find a reason to ditch work? She'll probably be resting. The rare days she does get off, she usually catches up on sleep or goes over old reports to keep her knowledge up to date." He replied. "Nanako will probably go see her when she finishes school for the day. But don't bother her." He added.

Adachi frowned and looked down at the statements. He began to work through them, looking over the reports to make sure they didn't miss anything. Every so often, he glanced down at his phone. There was no response to his earlier phone call. He looked up, frowning at this knowledge. Why hadn't she responded?

He eventually managed to sneak away, his earlier attempts rewarded by being punched in the head by Dojima. He headed towards Junes, half heartedly hoping that he would see Shi shopping. His hopes were dashed when he saw no sign of her. He sat in the food court, sipping his drink and looking at his phone. He tried her again, sighing when there wasn't a response again.

"Adachi-san." He looked up as someone called his name. He frowned as Yu walked towards him.

"Oh, it's you. What's up?" He asked.

"Adachi-san, you haven't seen Shi-san today have you?" Yu asked him.

"No, she has the day off and is resting. I haven't had the chance to talk to her today." He said. The group all looked at each other. They shared a look before looking back to him.

"So, no one has seen or heard from her all day?" Yosuke asked.

"You better not be thinking of going and bothering her. Shi-chan has a lot of work to do without worrying about you lot as well. Let her rest, she's earned it." He said firmly. Though he wouldn't admit to it, he was also growing slightly concerned at the lack of contact. He turned and began to head back to the station. "Just leave this to the police." He added before leaving.

When he arrived back at the station, he saw the chief talking to Dojima. Both looked up at him as he walked in. Neither of them seemed very happy. He braced himself for a verbal assault that would be, most likely, followed by physical abuse from Dojima once the chief was gone. He walked towards them.

"Ah, Detective Adachi. You haven't managed to contact Shi-chan today have you?" The chief asked. Adachi shook his head.

"Has...no one being able to speak to her today?" He asked.

"Well, no one has been to her house yet, but no one has been able to get in contact with her. I want you and Dojima-san to go to her house, see if she's there." The chief said. Adachi nodded and turned to Dojima who was about to nod when his phone rang. He looked at it.

"It's Nanako. Excuse me for a minute." He said before answering. "Yeah Nanako? What? What do you mean her door is open? Right, stay outside, don't go in. I'll be there in five minutes." He said before hanging up. "Nanako has just been to Shi's house. She said her door is open." He said.

"What?" Adachi aske, surprise clear on his face.

"Now, let's not jump to conclusions. She may be visiting a neighbour." The chief said.

"Nanako said she looked inside the entrance. It was a mess. Like someone had struggled." Dojima said. He turned and began to head towards the door with Adachi. "We'll go look. If it is what we suspect, we'll call crime scene." He said. The chief nodded and let them go.

Dojima drove as fast as he could to get to Shi's house. Nanako stood by the gate, a small crowd starting to gather. Dojima moved towards Nanako. "Are you OK?" He asked her as Adachi moved past them towards the door. It was open, revealing the hallway. The table was on its side, items strewn around the floor.

"Shi-chan?" He called out softly. No response came back. He moved forward, about to step inside. He could see a mark on the wall near the table in her hall.

"Adachi, don't go in there! You could contaminate it!" Dojima yelled. Adachi froze and stepped back, away from the door. Immediately, Dojima was on his phone, calling for crime scene and uniformed officers. Adachi shook himself and started to get statements from neighbours. As crime scene processed her home, he heard people murmuring.

"I told you she had something to do with it. Why else would she not reveal that information to us?" A housewife said.

"Well, look at who her parents were. The apple never falls far from the tree. It must be genetic." Another gossip replied. "And innocent people don't run away."

"That's enough!" He snapped. The two of them looked at him. "Tawakemono-sensei has done nothing but helped people in this town. She has been driving herself to exhaustion to solve this but you lot can't accept that can you?!"

"Adachi! That's enough." Dojima yelled. Adachi turned, about to respond. But one look at Dojima's face told him to drop it. He turned and walked away from the two gossiping women. As he moved away from the scene, Dojima stopped him. "I don't know what the hell that was all about, but we don't snap like that at the public. They are one of the only sources of evidence we have at the moment. The only way of getting a timeline." He said. Adachi sighed.

"Uncle Dojima." A voice called. The two looked up as Yu ran over to them. "I came as soon as I got the message. You want me to take Nanako-chan back home." He said. Dojima nodded. "Do we know what happened?" Yu asked.

"Tawakemono-sensei has provided us with clues." A CSI said as he walked towards them. "She pulled her assailant inside, creating footprints for us to lift and made both her and her assailant collide with the table and the wall. We have some possible fibres." He added.

"That's good. Once we find Shi-chan, we can make sure her attempts weren't in vain." Dojima said. The CSI nodded before taking the evidence away. Yu nodded and took Nanako's hand.

"Come on, we'll head home." He said to her. She smiled and nodded before they headed off. Adachi watched them before looking back up at Shi's home. A cold feeling hit the pit of his stomach. Fear clenched him in icy cold claws. If they didn't find Shi soon, then it may result in her own autopsy.

Later that night, Yu sat, watching a blank TV. His clock ticked slowly to midnight. He didn't want to watch the midnight channel. None of them did. But they had to be sure that if Shi had been kidnapped, then had she been thrown into the TV. Midnight arrived, the clock chiming. As it did, the room was illuminated by the midnight channel activating. The image was a lot clearer. A circus background appeared, including a dark, creepy looking big top. A figure dressed as a ringleader appeared. It was Shi.

"_Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to the greatest show you'll ever see. It's the circus we encounter everyday. The circus of life. And have we got a show for you tonight!_" The Shi on the screen said. Yu watched the show, his eyes narrowed. The thing on screen wasn't Shi. It's voice was distorted. And it had a mask attached to one of its hips.

"_We have everything you could want here. And not only that, we have a new act, yay!_" The Shi on screen was overexcited and over reacting, nothing like the one he had seen talking to Dojima. "_I can't believe it but we have a unique freak I am going to get to interact with. So don't miss out. Are you all ready? Because_ _here we go!_" The other Shi cried happily before running into the big top. The TV went blank after that. Immediately, Yu's phone rang.

"Did you see that?! I have never seen Tawakemono-sensei dress like that. And that mask..." Yosuke said.

"This proves Tawakemono-sensei was thrown into the TV. We need to rescue her." Yu said.

"Yeah, we'll go into the TV world tomorrow. We'll save Tawakemono-sensei. We'll meet at the food court before heading in." Yosuke replied before hanging up. Yu also hung up and looked back at the TV.

"Don't worry Tawakemono-sensei, we'll save you." He said.


	14. Shi's Shadow

Shi groaned as she began to return to consciousness. She sat up, holding her head. As her vision cleared, she realised she was no longer in Inaba. She looked around, trying to work out where she was. It appeared to be a circus big top. Distorted, muffled sounds echoed around her as she looked around.

"Where am I?" She spoke aloud, getting to her feet. She staggered momentarily, her head throbbing briefly. She frowned and stood up straight. The sounds grew louder as she walked around the big top. She couldn't understand what was going on. There were sounds but no source of the noise. But what was worse was the feeling of utter despair that seemed to follow her. She paused as she heard movement.

"Hello? Who's there?" She asked. She looked around, trying to locate the source of the movement. But she couldn't see anything, it was too dark. It was just then that bright lights switched on. She covered her eyes, temporarily blinded by the lights. Laughter echoed through the tent, distorted and inhuman. Shi narrowed her eyes and lowered her arm, her eyes growing used to the light.

"_Well, our star attraction finally awoke huh? You better be prepared because you're going to be centre stage..._" The voice said. The figure it belonged to stepped forward, grinning at her. Its left eye glowed yellow, its right was more green in colour. Shi's own eyes widened in shock at the future. The figure before her, was her exact double.

It grinned before speaking again. "_Tawakemono-sensei._" She stared in horror.

"What...What are you? What's going on?" Shi said. She forced herself to calm down, despite the overwhelming sense of panic threatening her. There had to be an explanation for this.

"_Oh that's easy. I'm you. We're the same._" The other her said, placing its hands on its hips. It was then Shi noticed that the noise grew louder. She looked around. She turned back to the other who shrugged, their arms folded under their chest. She looked away, not liking how it acted whilst wearing her face.

"So you say. What's the noise? Where is it coming from?" Shi asked. She looked as the other who grinned. It walked towards her chuckling.

"_Why? Are you loving the attention? You do don't you?_ " It said. Shi turned to face the other, staring in shock. "_You may act like you want to stay in the shadows but you really want to be the centre of attention._" It said. Shi went to retaliate when she heard footsteps running towards her.

"Tawakemono-sensei!" She turned to Yu and his friends running towards them. "Tawakemono-sensei, are you OK?!" Yu asked her.

"I'm fine. Just trying to make sense of this place. And the hallucination I appear to be suffering." She said calmly, trying to keep control of the situation. The thing behind her chuckled.

"_Oh, you're loving this aren't you? Poor little Shi, always living in the shadows and friends with the dead._" The thing said. Shi's eyes narrowed. "_Always the freak, the monster, the murder child, the dead girl. Never acknowledged for your own successes_."

"Stop it."

"_No matter what you do, you are always reminded of what your parents did. Everyone talks behind your back and you hear every word."_

"Shut up."

"_I just want to be the centre of attention. I love hearing people talk about it. It means I am in control of their lives. I don't care if this spree never ends. I don't want it to, I'm having too much fun! I'm just as monstrous as they were!_ "

"STOP IT!" Shi yelled. "You're..." The others froze and tried to run towards her.

"Tawakemono-sensei, don't!" Yu yelled, trying to stop her.

"You're not me!" Shi yelled at the stranger. The other began to laugh, the sound growing more manic. Darkness swirled around it before exploding outwards. Shi yelled as she was thrown backwards into a wall. In the stranger's place stood a monster. A large, dark blue fox with a human mask hovering in front of where the face would be. It had nine tails, each with a demonic mask on it raised in the air.

"_I am a shadow, the true self_." It said at them. The group immediately took on defensive stands. The creature chuckled darkly, its tails lashing into the ground.

"You ready partner?" Yosuke asked Yu. Yu nodded firmly. The others are stood ready before shouting in unison.

"Persona!"They yelled. The air seemed to erupt with energy as more creatures appeared, each standing alongside Yu and the others. The personas charged towards the shadow, ready to attack. One struck it with fire, another froze it but nothing seemed to work. Instead, a tail with a unique mask would move forward and blocked their attacks. The creature chuckled, its tails wagging slightly.

"How are we supposed to beat it?" Yukiko asked. The others looked at one another.

"If we can't use elemental attacks, we'll try physical." Yu said. But before he could change his persona, the shadow laughed. It stood on its front legs and aimed its tails at them. The masks changed, shifting tails. They stared in shock as the masks jaws opened and struck each of them with the element to counter what they had just used.

"That was brutal." Yosuke groaned as he stood up after being knocked down. "We can't take another attack like that." They all nodded. Yu quickly changed personas, keeping a close eye on the shadow.

"_Oh? You can change? How fun! "_ The shadow laughed. Yu glanced at Chie and Kanji who nodded. The three of them sent their personas forward, charging the shadow. Shi struggled to sit up, feeling her energy drain as she watched them battle. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. These teens were saving her. She couldn't understand it. Her mind couldn't make sense of it. Then it struck her. Maybe, this place didn't abide to the rules she lived by. Shi nodded to herself and pushed herself to her feet. As she did, the fox monster let out a pained yell before reverting back to its other form.

"Stop this!" Shi yelled at them. "This is madness." The shadow chuckled and moved in front of her.

"_No. This is what you truly want! Listen to your audience pay attention to you!_ " The weird noise from before started again, echoing around the tent. _"You don't want this to end. As long as murders and kidnappings keep happening, you don't have to go back to being the weird freak who hangs around with dead bodies. The one that never gets to live in the light. The child trapped behind the mask._" The shadow said.

"You're wrong!" Shi snapped. Her legs trembled with the effort.

"_I'm right! I don't want to go back to the shadows. I don't want to be trapped behind the mask. I want the world to know me! I want to yell out that I exist!_" The shadow insisted. Shi growled and slapped the shadow across the face. It rang out through the air, echoing off the walls. Shi lowered her arm, breathing heavily. The shadow looked back at her.

"Tawakemono-sensei!" Yukiko cried as they ran over to her. "Are you OK?"

"I will be. Thank you, for saving me." Shi said, looking back at them momentarily. She looked back at the other her, her legs trembling. "As for you, if you truly are me then you can take a slap to the face. But it's true. I never wanted to admit it but I am tired of living in my parents shadows. I thought I wanted to be acknowledged by everyone. But now I see that only those who matter are the ones that need to acknowledge me." She said. The shadow nodded before fading. In its place floated a blue card with a moon on it.

Before that appeared a kitsune demon with a fox mask. It was black and white with nine tails but the mask was purple. It was surrounded by orbs with different characters on them. Both faded as the card seem to merge with her heart. Immediately, Shi's legs gave out and she collapsed.

"Tawakemono-sensei!" Yu said, helping her up.

"Guess I'm not as good as I thought." Shi said.

"I guess because you're slightly older, the shadows have a taken more of a toll." A voice said. Shi looked up to see some blue bear thing looking at her.

"What the hell is that?" She asked. The thing waved at her.

"I'm Teddy!" It said happily. "What's wrong with your eyes, pretty lady?"

"Teddy, huh? Oh, I have heterochromia iridum. Odd eyes." She said. She reached out and petted Teddy. "Wow, you're really soft." She murmured. She felt her legs go again. Yu helped her before she fell.

"We better get her out of here." Yu said. They all nodded before Yosuke took her other arm and led her away. The next thing Shi knew, she was sitting on the floor in Junes electronic department. Chie stood, ringing the police whilst Shi tried to catch her breath. Immediately after Chie hung her phone up, Shi's own phone began ringing. She looked at the caller display before answering.

"Hello?" She said weakly.

"Shi-chan! Thank God! You're OK right!? I am on my way with Dojima-san." Adachi's voice sounded overwhelmed with relief.

"Right. I managed to make my way to the electronic department. Can you ask Dojima-san to request an ambulance? I wanna make sure I have no lasting injuries from my fight with the assailant." Shi said weakly. Adachi relayed her message to Dojima before he hung up. Shi put her phone away and sighed. Before long, sirens indicated the arrival of Dojima and Adachi. Both ran to the electronic department. Adachi crouched in front of her.

"Shi-chan! You're ok!" He exclaimed. "Here, I'll help you up." He wrapped her arms around him before slowly helping her to her feet. He went to move away but Shi kept hold of him. Her hands gripped his jacket, her face hidden by his shoulder. "Shi-chan?"

"I was so worried about what might happen. Worried that I would never get to see you again. I couldn't cope with that." She said. She heard Adachi sighed softly.

"You and me both." He murmured. He looked as the paramedics arrived. "I'll go with you to the hospital." He said. Shi nodded. The paramedics helped her to the ambulance, Adachi following. Shi glanced back at Yu and the others momentarily. Once she was out of the hospital, she was going to clear up what happened to her and try to solve the mysteries surrounding the case.


	15. Recovery revelation

Shi sighed as she sat in the hospital bed. Originally, they had told her she would be in for a few hours. Then that extended to overnight. That had been two days ago. Adachi sat in a chair nearby, reading the paper. Aside from the beeping of the heart monitor beside her and the murmur of people outside the room, it was quiet.

"I'm bored." She sighed. "It's quite obvious nothing is wrong with me. Yet they won't let me discharge myself. What a waste of resources. I could be working right now." She said. Adachi chuckled and walked over to her. He sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her.

"Maybe. But we have to make sure you're OK. From the state your home was in, you put up quite a fight." He chuckled. She rolled her eyes and leant against him. "I was so freaked out when I spotted the state of your home. I nearly forgot the basics of investigation. I nearly walked in and contaminated it." She looked up at him. "But, when we got the call that you had been found alive, I was overwhelmed. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't. Especially now. This bastard made it personal by attacking me. I will make sure he goes down for it." Shi said. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face against his shoulder. She inhaled the scent that had become comforting to her. "But there's something else I want to talk about. It's about us. I... I think we should start letting people know about us. Not like announce it fully, but maybe let ourselves be seen holding hands and hugging and such in public." She said.

Adachi looked down at her momentarily. He remained silent for a few moments before flashing her his now infamous grin. "You're tired of creeping around huh?" He asked her.

"Not really. I just... Figured that I shouldn't waste my life trying to matter to everyone. I should focus on those who love me." Shi replied. Both of them looked up as a knock sounded on the door. Adachi moved away momentarily as a doctor walked in. He looked up at her after reading her notes.

"Ok Tawakemono-sensei, you can go now. We're confident there's no long term concerns. All I would suggest is that you rest up at home." He said. Shi nodded in understanding. He left and Adachi turned as Shi got dressed.

"I don't understand why you didn't look. You've seen it before." She chuckled as she zipped her jacket up. He shrugged and picked up her bag. The two of them walked out of the hospital. "So, we'll go drop my bag at home, then I want to go have a word with the chief." Shi said. She smiled as Adachi opened the car door for her. As they headed towards her home, she could see people carrying on as normal.

"It's weird isn't it? How people will carry on whilst their friends and neighbours lives crumble." He said. "Sometimes, this world really does appear to be going to shit."

"You're preaching to the choir here Adachi-kun." Shi said. He pulled up outside her home, pausing when they spotted a figure sitting on her porch. "Is that Naoto?" She asked. As they got out of the car, Naoto looked up.

"Tawakemono-sensei, I was wondering if I could talk to you about what happened." Naoto said.

"I will say to you what I told the officer that interviewed me. My memory is distorted due to the chloroform my assailant used to knock me out. I never saw them clearly, they attacked me from behind." Shi said, walking past Naoto and into her home. She put her bag near her stairs and headed back out.

"But you tried to ensure that they left evidence."

"Common sense. This assailant doesn't leave evidence if they can help it. So don't help them, force them to leave evidence." Shi countered. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a job to do." She walked away and got back into the car before they left her home.

"You made it sound like you expected to be kidnapped." Adachi murmured.

"Simple logic. I may have been getting close, so the assailant kidnapped me to scare me. Not that it worked." Shi replied. Adachi nodded and continued back to the station. Outside the front, a small crowd of news crews had gathered. Adachi frowned.

"I'll park by the morgue entrance." He said. Shi remained silent. As they entered the station, via the morgue, Shi rolled her shoulders and took Adachi's hand. He glanced down and looked up at her, grinning when he saw her shake slightly. They walked through to the main room where Adachi sat at his desk. Dojima looked up.

"Shi-san? Shouldn't you be resting?" He asked. Shi shrugged, ignoring the murmurs of those around her.

"I was going stir-crazy just sitting. I need to get back into work. But before I forget, you couldn't give me Yu's phone number could you? I understand, from what Adachi has told me, that it was him and his friends that found me." Shi said. "I want to thank them. If they hadn't have found me, it may have been my body that was next on the autopsy table." Dojima looked at her momentarily before nodding. He wrote the number down for Shi and handed it to her. She smiled and nodded her thanks before heading to the morgue. She dialled the number and listened to it ring.

"Hello?" Yu answered, sounding uncertain.

"Yu-kun? It's Tawakemono-sensei. We need to talk about what happened. Meet me at Junes food court." Shi said before hanging up. She glanced up at the clock on her office wall before heading out. She was determined to get answers.

Eventually, she arrived at Junes food court and sat down. Shortly after she arrived, Yu and his friends turned up.

"Tawakemono-sensei, how are you feeling?" Yukiko asked.

"We're not here to talk about my recovery. We're here to discuss what happened. I suspected you lot were involved. And whilst my better judgement is screaming at me to go inform Dojima-san of this, I am willing to hear you out. So explain." Shi said harshly. She wanted an explanation for what had happened. They glanced at each other before Yu began to explain. When he had finished, Shi was sitting with her arms folded across her chest.

"How big a fool do you take me for?" She asked suddenly. "Do you really expect me to believe that? People don't get thrown inside TVs."

"But it's true!" Yosuke insisted. "You saw it yourself!"

"I suffered a hallucination. Most likely caused by the drug used to knock me unconscious. I may not know the cause but I was delirious when you found me, wherever that may have been, and you decided to play along with the hallucination until I snapped out of it." Shi snapped.

"Then why did you appear on the midnight channel?!" Kanji snapped back.

"Don't you bring that stupid rumour back into this! It is a rumour, nothing more! I don't know the reason why you or Yukiko were kidnapped. But I was targeted because I am part of the investigation. Now, leave this to the police and stay out of it. Because if you don't, you will end up as one of my patients. Understand?!" She slammed her hands down on the table when they went to retaliate. "I don't want to perform anymore autopsies on people whose lives are just beginning. Please, stay out of this."

Yu nodded, the others slowly following his lead. Shi leant back in her chair. She grimaced and rubbed her shoulder before standing. "I understand you want to help. But this is dangerous. So stay out of it." She reiterated before leaving. She walked back to the station and entered via the morgue. She walked through to where all the desks were and moved to Adachi's desk.

"Where did you go?" He asked her as she sat beside him.

"To Junes. I needed a break from the station." Shi said. "Also, to try to get some clarity as to what happened when I was found at Junes. I don't remember what happened. But, part of me thinks that maybe I don't want to know." Shi added.

"You'll work it out. You're one of the smartest people here at the station." Adachi said. "Well, you and me are." He said.

"That makes you sound like a real douche you know." She said. He paused, thinking it over before the two of them started sniggering.

"Oh, I'm glad someone is having fun during this investigation." The chief said as he walked towards them. The two of them stifled their giggles.

"Yes sir?" Adachi asked.

"I'm glad to see you back Shi-san. I hope you can help. Have you heard of Rise Kujikawa?" He asked.

"The idol?" Shi asked. The chief nodded.

"She'll be coming to Inaba tomorrow and I want you Adachi on traffic duty. Traffic is going to move by her family's shop slowly, you need to stop that. Shi, I want you to go talk to her, keep the public away from her."

"Forgive me sir, but I don't have training to protect people. And won't I attract more attention." Shi asked.

"I figured you could provide a less...imposing presence. She may be more comfortable with you than with anyone else. Just give it a try." He asked her. Shi nodded in response. "You'll have to meet her at the train station in the morning." He added. Shi and Adachi nodded in understanding. The chief turned and walked away. Shortly after that, the two of them headed out of the station.

Adachi took her hand as they headed to the car. She smiled and laughed as they headed to her house. He wrapped his arms around her as they entered her house. Shi pulled him close, kissing him as she shut the door. She felt elated with him. But her mind couldn't shake the belief that what she had encountered during her attack was just the beginning of the worst part of this nightmare.


	16. Idol Arrival

Shi waited for the train to pull in to the station. Rise Kujikawa was returning to Inaba and it was her job to check that she was OK. She stood as the train appeared. The arrangement had been for her to meet the young idol and her manager at the Inaba station and drive them to the Kujikawa family store. As the train stopped Shi stepped forward. A young girl, barely older than 15 stepped towards her, followed by a man in a suit.

"Tawakemono-sensei?" The man asked.

"Yep. I'm Tawakemono Shi. It's nice to meet you miss Kujikawa." Shi said. Rise looked up at her briefly. "I'm going to escort you home and make sure you're OK. We at the Inaba police station are going to do everything in our power to ensure your break is peaceful." She added. She opened the car door to let Rise in whilst her manager loaded her bags into the boot. Shi climbed into the drivers seat and set off. As they drove, the manager turned on the radio.

"And our main story. The residents of Inaba are excited for the arrival of Idol Risette to the town. The town has recently been struck by a series of murders and after the decision by pathologist Tawakemono Shi to withold information, morale is at a low. The idol is taking a break from show business to..." Shi switched the radio over to her CDs, letting some of her favourite songs play through the speakers.

"What do they mean?" Rise asked from the back. Shi glanced in her rear view mirror.

"I chose not to let the public know some facts about the case. It was made in their best interest." She said. Rise looked back out the window.

"Is that really your decision to make?" She asked.

"It is with evidence." Shi countered. "But let's not talk about a case. Will you be attending Yasogami high during your stay?" She asked.

"Wait, you're not going to ask me all about being an idol?" Rise asked.

"Why the hell would I ask that? I am quite content with my job thank you. Being constantly in the public eye is not my thing. I don't know how you do it. Wearing that same mask to the masses." Shi said.

"Don't you wear one?" Rise countered.

"We all do. It's simply a question of does your mask change to match the situation." Shi said. Rise said nothing, remaining silent. Shi looked back at her through the rear view mirror before pulling up outside the Kujikawa store. "Here we are. Now, obviously this is big news to the residents, so we'll have a plain clothes detective guiding traffic away from you. I just want to do a quick check up on you, make sure you are OK then I will drop in every so often to check up on you." Shi explained.

"You're not staying to look after her?" Her manager said.

"I can't. I have other patients waiting." Shi said. "The dead may not complain but they don't deserve to be kept waiting." She added. She pulled out her med kit and walked in with Rise. After her bags were placed inside, Shi sat Rise on a chair. "Ok, this may feel cold." She said, picking up her stethoscope. She began her tests, listening to Rise's heart, breathing and testing her blood pressure and temperature. "Hmm, blood pressure is a little high but that may be due to stress. I will check it again later after you've settled."

"Is that everything?" The manager asked.

"Just that she rests up. I don't know if your previous physician told you this but you're close to exhaustion Rise. Another few days on the same schedule, it wouldn't end well." Shi said. She packed up her kit and stood. "I will drop by later. But here." She handed Rise a card with two numbers on. "The first number takes you directly through to my office, the other is my personal phone number. Just call if you need me." Shi said before heading out. Adachi was stood outside, preparing for moving traffic on.

"Hey Shi-chan, did she get here OK?" He asked. Shi nodded, walking over to him. "Ah. So where are you going now?"

"To the morgue. I have some autopsies I need to do from my time off. Then I'll be back." Shi said. "I'm trusting you to keep an eye on everything until I get back." She added with a smile. Adachi nodded before Shi headed off to the station.

Later that day, Shi returned to the shop, frowning at the crowd that was beginning to form outside. She pushed her way through whilst Adachi guided traffic away. Rise's grandmother smiled at her as she entered.

"Good day Tawakemono-sensei, what brings you here?" She asked. "Would you like some tofu?"

"I'll take some in a moment. I am actually here to stop those crowds from invading." Shi said. She turned and faced the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, there is nothing to see here. Please move on from the store." She said.

"Yeah, there's only a old woman in there." A man said. The crowd dispersed, murmuring amongst one another. Shi turned and headed inside. Rise was stood with her back to the entrance. Before Shi could speak, someone entered. She turned to see Yu, Yosuke and Kanji standing inside.

"Tawakemono-sensei? Why are you here?" Kanji asked.

"I could ask you the same question." Shi said.

"We came for tofu." Yosuke said, answering a bit too quickly.

"Oh, can I help you?" Rise's grandmother asked, walking up to Yu and the others. The three of them looked at her in surprise.

"Wait, does that mean?" Yosuke began. Rise turned and looked at them.

"Oh, you came back Tawakemono-sensei. I want to talk to you. I will just serve these customers." She said. She walked over to them and gave them their order.

"We actually came for another reason. Have you heard of the midnight channel?" Yu asked Rise.

"The rumour about the TV showing you your soulmate? Yeah, why?" Rise replied.

"Do not bring that stupid rumour into this again." Shi suddenly said.

"But Rise-san maybe in danger Tawakemono-sensei." Yosuke said.

"The kidnapper may target her because she is famous. But you cannot scare her with stupid, childish rumours." Shi snapped.

"Why can't you accept it? It happened to you! You appeared on TV, then on the midnight channel then you were kidnapped!" Kanji snapped.

"Don't you dare drag what happened to me into this! There is no evidence to prove that they are linked. It may be purely coincidental." Shi said.

"Look, we just wanted to warn Rise-san about the kidnapper. We didn't mean to stress you out Tawakemono-sensei." Yu said, trying to defuse the situation.

"Uh-huh. Well, leave this to the police. This is what we're meant to do, you'll only get hurt." Shi said. They nodded and collected their tofu before leaving. Shi rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Tawakemono-sensei, is what they said true? You were kidnapped?" Rise asked.

"I don't recall what happened." Shi said. "But yes, I was kidnapped. But don't worry, we'll do everything we can to protect you." She said. "Now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Later in the evening, Shi looked up as Dojima and Adachi spoke to Rise. She picked a piece of tofu out of the bag and began to eat it. As she did, Adachi and Dojima stepped back towards the store front. Adachi walked over to her.

"Can I try some?" He asked her whilst Dojima turned to Rise. Shi broke the piece she had been about to eat in half and gave some to him. Dojima glanced at them before returning to Rise.

Listen, I don't know if Tawakemono-sensei has told you but there have been some kidnappings recently." Dojima said.

"I know. Tawakemono-sensei told me. But she told me more after some boys came in and mentioned it. One of them had silver hair." Rise said.

Dojima looked at Shi who looked away briefly. "I see. I'll talk to them later." Dojima said. The three of them bowed slightly before leaving. "Shi-chan, did you see Yu talk to her?" He asked.

"I did. And I told them that if they get involved, they will end up on my autopsy table." Shi said. Dojima sighed, lighting a cigarette. "I think they're just trying to help us Dojima-san. I know they shouldn't but in a town this small, we're all tied to this case in one way or another." Shi added. Dojima shook his head.

"I know and you're probably right Shi-chan. But I will still talk to him. Adachi, I want you to keep an eye on Rise. I don't want to run the risk of her being kidnapped." Dojima said.

"Yes, sir." Adachi said.

"I'll drop by whenever I can to help him. Two pairs of eyes are better than one in cases like this." Shi said. Dojima nodded and bid them goodbye. After he left, Shi turned to Adachi. "Are you staying with me tonight? I can cook us some of that tofu." She asked him. Adachi nodded happily. She smiled and walked with him back to her home. But all thoughts of dinner were soon lost to caresses and whispered desires. As midnight ticked by, Shi inhaled Adachi's scent as his lips teased her neck, their bodies moving in perfect sync. And as night melted into the dawn, Shi slept curled up beside the one man who had slipped past her walls and embraced her heart. The one man who held her and had seen the person behind the mask.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that this love would be her downfall before the end of this case.


	17. Suspicious memories

Shi yawned and stretched as she awoke. She smiled and looked at Adachi, whose arm was wrapped around her. She brushed some hair out of his face, smiling as he shifted. His eyes opened slowly.

"Good morning." He yawned. "What time is it?" He asked, stretching. Shi gathered her dressing gown and slipped it on.

"Early." She replied, walking towards the bathroom. "You going to join me? May as well save water." She asked, grinning at him. She laughed as he tripped, jumping out of her bed and staggered towards her. He wrapped his arms around her and walked into the bathroom.

Shortly after that, the two were getting ready to leave. "So, I will be helping you when I can today. But if autopsies start building up, I will go deal with them. I have one to do this morning as far as I know." She explained.

"Ok. And I'm supposed to keep an eye on Rise yeah?" Adachi said. Shi nodded and grabbed her bag. "Man, today is going to be so boring." He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. Shi laughed and opened her door, heading out towards her car after he stepped out.

"I will let you know when I am on my way." Shi said, standing by her car as Adachi walked towards her. "See you later?" She asked. He nodded and quickly kissed her cheek before heading towards the shopping district. Shi smiled and headed towards the station. She never noticed her neighbour watching them.

When she arrived at the station, she was greeted by the funeral directors. "Are you here for Mr Ishikawa?" She asked them.

"Him and Miss Hasegawa." The director said, looking at his papers.

"How did the funerals for Miss Konishi and that reporter go?" Shi asked as she walked to the fridges containing the requested individuals.

"They were OK. We had a couple of members of the press attempt to get in but we stopped them." He said. He checked all the tags and nodded. "Ok, we'll take these two. Will you just call us when your next patient is ready?"

"Correct." Shi said. She watched them leave before turning to the only patient she had that day. She worked on the body, taking all the samples she needed and performing the tests required. She signed her report and stored the body in one of the fridges. She walked through to where her morgue attendant worked and looked at him.

"I'm all done for now. If someone new comes in, call me. But you can call the funeral directors and let them know that they can collect my patient." Shi said. Her attendant nodded and wrote everything down. Shi turned and grabbed her bag before heading towards the shopping district.

As Shi approached, she saw Adachi looking at a snack shop. Yu and his friends were standing outside, talking to each other.

"I thought you were supposed to be watching Rise-san." Shi asked softly. She watched as two housewives walked past, whispering to each other. They glanced her way before continuing their conversation at a more fevered pace.

"I was. But they've been hanging around the shop so I thought I'd keep an eye on them." He said. Shi nodded. They watched the group head inside before coming back out. Adachi looked nervous as he made eye contact with Yu. Shi rolled her eyes as they walked over.

"Tawakemono-sensei, Adachi-san. What are you doing here?" Yu asked.

"Adachi is keeping an eye on Miss Kujikawa. I came to see if he wanted anything to eat given I'm on a break." Shi explained. "Why are you here?" They glanced at each other. Shi rolled her eyes and turned towards the shop. She could see Rise working inside.

"Come on out you bastard. We're ready for you." Adachi murmured beside her. Shi glanced at him, about to say something when Yukiko gasped.

"Look!" She gasped, pointing to a telephone pole near the shop. They all turned and looked to see some strange man climbing up it. He looked down at them in surprise. He slid down the pole and ran away from them.

"Hey! Get back here!" Kanji yelled. They ran after him, chasing him down the street. As they chased him, Shi saw a strangely familiar looking van pass them. They stopped as they reached the road by the fuel station. The man faced them, backing towards the road, filled with traffic.

"I'll do it you know!" The man yelled. They stared at him momentarily before Shi and Adachi realised.

"Wait, don't do anything drastic!" Shi cried.

"If the suspect gets injured, the police will be held responsible! They'll get really angry and..." Adachi trailed off.

"We won't have a suspect!" Shi finished. She stepped forward, her hands raised peacefully. "Ok, we've stopped chasing you. Now, come away from the road." She said.

"Leave me alone. I haven't done anything!" The man said.

"Ok, listen. I'm not a police officer. I am a doctor. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt." Shi said, edging towards him. As she did, she suddenly heard a shout from behind her.

"Hey! Look over there! A Martian!" Yosuke yelled. The stranger turned, only to be tackled by Yu, Yosuke and Kanji. Shi sighed as they brought him away from the road. As the man tried to explain himself, Shi stood to one side. The van she had seen was really bothering her. Something about it seemed familiar to her but she couldn't place it. She frowned, thinking about it.

"All right, I'll take it from here." She heard Adachi say. She turned to see him showing the stranger his badge. She smiled softly before walking forward.

"We'll hear your story down at the station... Ohh, how I've waited to use that line!" He exclaimed happily. Still the stranger protested his innocence.

"I know for a fact it's not a crime in this country to take secret pictures." The stranger cried.

"It should be." Shi muttered under her breath.

"Hey, don't you understand what's happening here? You're under suspicion of murder!" Adachi snapped. "Come with me! We'll talk about this later!" Shi held her hand under her chin, one of her fingers resting against her cheek. She felt a soft smile tug at her lips as she watched Adachi take control. He handcuffed the stranger before turning to them.

"I gotta thank you guys for all your help! Well done!" Adachi said, saluting Yu and his friends.

"I gotta admit, I was wrong. You did a great job." Shi said, mimicking Adachi's salute to them. "But you should stay out of this. Dojima is worried sick about you." She added. They nodded and began to walk towards the station. As they reached the tofu shop, they paused.

"We should tell Rise-san that we caught the guy." Yosuke said. They waited as he moved to head inside. However, her grandmother stepped out.

"Oh, hello. Are you here to buy some tofu?"

"Actually, we came to talk to Rise-san." Yosuke said.

"Oh, she just stepped out without saying a word. She does that some times. She may not say it, but she's worn out in many ways." Her grandmother said before heading back inside the shop. Shi glanced at Yu momentarily.

"You're worrying too much, we caught the guy." Adachi said. He led the stranger away. But Shi remained behind. She faced Yu and the others.

"Ok, so you think she's going to appear on the TV tonight?" Chie asked. They glanced at each other.

"It's a possibility. We'll keep an eye on it tonight." Yu said. He looked at Shi. "What will you do Tawakemono-sensei?" He asked.

"You will know tonight." Shi said, turning and walking away from them. She headed towards the station and walked towards the interrogation rooms. Dojima was stood outside. "Have the collected evidence from him?" She asked.

"Not yet. I think they want you to." He replied. Shi nodded and collected her kit before knocking on the door. She entered the room and put the kit down on the table. She collected fingerprints, DNA and hair from him before sending the samples down to the lab. She stepped out without saying a word.

After that, she headed home. She wasn't going to be much use to them, especially if he was their suspect. Shi sat and stared at her TV as it drew closer to midnight. When midnight struck, the screen came to life. She watched as Rise appeared on screen, acting completely out of character. She picked up her phone and called Yu.

"I'll help you rescue her." Was all she said. "Tomorrow at Junes food court? I understand." She said before hanging up. She looked at her now blank TV. Maybe now, she would finally get some answers.


	18. The two shadows

Shi sighed as she sat at the food court. She hadn't really known why she agreed to this, but it seemed it was the only way to get answers. The station had been chaos, with officers running all over the place. Crime Scene officers had been panicked, unable to find anything definitive at the scene. Shi had managed to bring them under some semblance of control, telling them to focus on what they had been able to recover and analyse that. She had then worked on the last two autopsies she had from when she was away. That had been interrupted by Adachi slinking into her lab to avoid being abused by anyone else. Apparently, he had spent the entire morning being berated by the chief and Dojima for wasting time.

Shi looked up, disturbed from her thoughts as she heard chairs scraping. Yu and the others sat at the table. "Are you sure you want to do this Tawakemono-sensei?" Yukiko asked her.

"Whoever it is attacking people needs to be stopped. And, despite my earlier beliefs, it seems the midnight channel does have something to do with it. If helping you will help solve this, then I am certain I will do this. At least, it means I can keep an eye on you to make sure you don't get hurt." Shi said.

Yu nodded and turned to the others. "So, Rise is in the TV world. We need to go and rescue her. Are you ready?" He asked. They all nodded and stood. Shi got to her feet and followed them to the electronics department. They checked no one was around before Yu touched the TV screen, his hand slipping into the screen.

"That's impossible." Shi murmured.

"You haven't seen anything yet Tawakemono-sensei." Chie said. Shi frowned and followed as they each entered the TV. She hesitantly raised her hand and touched the screen. She gulped as her hand sunk into the TV screen before taking a deep breath. She stepped into the TV world, crying out as she fell to the ground. She hit the floor hard, rolling slightly as her arm struck the ground.

"Son of a bitch! That's gonna bruise and be hard to explain." She murmured as she got to her feet. She looked around, squinting to try and see through the fog. "How do you see?" She asked. She turned to see Yosuke putting on a pair of glasses.

"Here pretty lady, I made these for you." Shi turned to see Teddy holding something out to her. She took it to see a grey pair of glasses, the arms streaked with black and white. She put them on, her eyes widening as the fog cleared. Surprise must have been evident on her face because she heard them laughing softly.

"Don't worry Tawakemono-sensei, it surprises everyone at first." Yukiko said. Shi shook her head and looked around.

"So Rise is here somewhere?" She asked. Yu nodded in response. "So let's go find her." Teddy sniffed the air and led them through the area until they stopped outside a neon club.

"The hell is this place?" Kanji asked.

"This is where Rise-san is." Yu replied. He headed inside, followed by Shi and the others. As they walked, Shi felt something hitting her hip in her pocket. She paused and looked in it to see a scalpel. She pulled it out and slipped it into her sleeve. It may not have been much, but it was a form of defence should she require it. She quickly caught up to the group. As they walked, she could see black shapes with blue masks moving around them. She gripped the scalpel, ready to attack.

"Tawakemono-sensei, you need to summon your persona." Yu said. Shi looked at him, surprised. She gulped, suddenly nervous of this gift she had. She watched the others summon their personas first before summoning her own. She watched the card appear before her. She went to grab it before seeing the scalpel. An idea sent a smile to her lips.

"Thou art I." She said before slicing the card in half. "Let's solve this." She said. Energy erupted around her as her persona appeared. It moved ahead of her, the masks on its tails constantly shifting back and forth to attack the creatures around them.

"Tawakemono-sensei, your persona is kicking ass." Yosuke cried excitedly. Shi smiled as she watched her persona defend the others. This had always been what she wanted. To help and protect people. And now she could. She followed Yu and the others to a large curtain, similar to those of a stage.

The curtain rose to reveal Rise sitting on the ground, her doppelganger standing before her.

"Rise-chan!" Shi quickly began to move forward, her medical training kicking in. She paused when the shadow laughed at her.

"They're all watching! All eyes are on me now!" The other Rise said. Shi stepped back, a dull ache in her shoulder a reminder of what could happen if you got too close.

"Stop it." Rise said weakly.

"Awwww! What's the matter? You wanna show your stuff, don'tcha? How's this?!" They all watched as the other Rise spun around the dance pole on the stage then started grinding against it.

"Please...stop this." Rise begged.

"Oooh, she wants me to stop. That's so funny!" The doppelganger chuckled. "As if that's even close to what you're really thinking you little skank!" It snapped suddenly. Shi felt ill suddenly. Had her own shadow acted in such a way? Had it acted so out of control? She looked up as Rise stood up suddenly.

"Stop... Stop it! You're..." She began to say. Yu and the others immediately began to shout out to tell her to stop. But it didn't work.

"You're... Not me!" Rise shouted. The shadow chuckled, starting to laugh manically as darkness gathered around it. Energy exploded outwards, knocking Rise back as her shadow reappeared before them. It had a satellite for a face, the body was covered in different colours. It swayed from side to side on the pole. Shi quickly moved to check on Rise whilst the others got into position to fight. She was still breathing but unconscious. Shi turned and summoned her persona. It charged forward, throwing various elemental attacks at the shadow whilst supporting the others. Shi watched as her persona threw a lighting attack, supporting Yu's attack. It was then she felt it. Something wash over her. There was a odd sound, like one of her machines analysing a item.

She looked around but couldn't see anything. As she looked around, she heard the shadow laugh.

"No touching allowed!" It laughed at them.

As she turned back to the shadow, she noticed that their attacks were missing. She glanced at Yu before seeing the shadow hop down from the pole.

"I can see everything about you." The shadow laughed. They all stared as it laughed.

"What's the deal!? Our attacks aren't even making a dent!" Chie cried.

"Damn, it's like its anticipating our every move!" Yosuke said. Teddie whimpered behind them. They stiffened as the light and noise sounded again.

"That power... I think it's scanning us." Teddie said.

"Scanning us? Shit, now it knows everything about us." Shi snapped.

"Woohoo! Analysis complete!" The shadow said. "Okay, here comes my counterattack! See if you can dodge this, hmm?" The shadow jumped off the pole and pulled at it, aiming it at them.

"Shit! Look out!" Shi yelled. She moved to try to block the attack, her persona standing in front of the others as the attack hit. It was brutal, knocking them all to the ground. Shi felt like her nerves were on fire. She pushed herself up as the shadow prepared to attack again. They all looked in surprise as Teddie suddenly moved in front of them.

"I-I feel like I'm going bear-serk!" Teddie yelled. He growled at the shadow, energy radiating from him. "Take a good look... At Teddie's last stand!" He growled. He roared and charged forward towards the shadow. There was a bright light as they collided, forcing them to shield their eyes. When it cleared, Teddie was on the floor looking worse for wear and the shadow was laying beaten.

"Teddie! You idiot... You coulda died..." Kanji snapped.

Did I... Did I help...?" Teddie croaked out. They sighed in relief.

"You didn't just help, you saved our lives!" Yosuke exclaimed. Teddie chuckled before standing up with some difficulty. He jumped when he looked down at himself.

"Nooo... My fine, silky fur... I was so proud of it! Waaaah..." He cried. Shi let out a soft laugh as the others went to check on Rise.

"It'll be fine Teddie. If necessary, I will get you a brush." She said, petting his head. "Your fur is still really soft." She added, which seemed to cheer him up. She smiled and walked to join the others as Rise spoke to her shadow.

"There is no "real" me. It just doesn't exist. You... Me... Even Risette... They were all born from me. All of them are... Me." She said softly. The shadow nodded, fading and transforming into a tall female figure with a satellite for its face. It was also holding a visor before it. It faded to the now familiar blue card that merged with Rise. She turned to face them before collapsing. Yosuke caught her and Shi moved forward.

"Rise-chan you need to rest. Trust me when I say this takes a lot out of you." Shi said. She moved to help Rise up as she thanked the others. She looked up as Chie made a startled noise. Teddie was staring blankly at them, when a strange voice emerged from him.

"Real? Me?" It chuckled. "Such foolishness." They stared as a shadow emerged from Teddie. Teddie turned to face his other side, jumping in surprise.

"The truth is unattainable... It will always be shrouded in fog. Though you reach through the murk and the gloom to grasp something, you have no means to know it is the truth... In which case, why...? What sense is there in yearning for the truth? Close your eyes. Lie to yourself. Live in blissful ignorance... It is a much smarter way to exist." It said.

"Wh-What are you talking about!? I don't understand a word you're saying!" Teddie yelled. "You're just making it sound difficult because I'm not that smart! How rude! Maybe you can't tell, but I'm thinking as hard as I can!"

"It is those efforts that I am calling useless... You are hollow. Empty." The other Teddie countered. "At your core, you know this... You just cannot accept it. So you seek an alternate form... A denial of your nature. You have no lost memories. If you have forgotten anything, it is this truth."

"Th... That's a lie." Teddy said.

"Shall I spell it out for you? You are but a mere-" The other Teddie began.

"I said shaddup!" Teddie interrupted. He charged at his other side, only to bounce back off of it.

"It is the same for you all..." The other Teddie continued as though nothing had happened. "You undergo suffering because of your search for the truth... This world is filled with thick, heavy fog... How can you find something when you know not what you search for?" It asked.

"There's a way to find it." Yu replied.

"And thus, you invite more suffering upon yourselves... It is beyond my comprehension. Then I will grant you one truth... You will all die here. You sought the truth, only to find death." With those words echoing in their ears, darkness and energy began to radiate from the other Teddie.


	19. Drunken revelation

Rise stood as they braced themselves for whatever was coming. Shi glanced at her, worried about her health.

"Woah! Don't think you're fighting with us! You can't take it!" Chie snapped. Rise shook her head.

"I'm okay... I should be able to take that bear's place! It's my turn to save you all!" Rise insisted. She summoned her persona before they could stop her. They each summoned their personas as well, ready for a fight. The shadow Teddie appeared as the darkness cleared. It's face was cracked revealing darkness around its eyes. The eyes were blue and purple. It roared at them, rising slightly out of the hole its lower half sat in.

"I am a shadow... The true self..." It said. "I shall give you the " truth" you claim to hold so dear... The inescapable fact of your death here!" It growled.

"I guess Teddie was a lot more troubled then he looked. We have to save him!" Yosuke said firmly.

"Foolish beings! Accept your end with dignity and grace!" Shadow Teddie snapped. They nodded at each other. Shi looked at her persona which paced in front of her. It was ready, determined to prove that the truth this shadow spoke of was not their deaths. It was the resolution of this case.

Her persona charged forward, its tails poised and ready. It followed Yu's persona, supporting him with elemental attacks. As they attacked, she kept glancing at Rise. She was worried about what this was doing to her. She had felt drained after her persona awakened, and that was without having to battle another shadow immediately afterwards. She turned as the shadow spoke to them again.

"Stop this futile struggling. Even if you resist, it will all come to naught..." It stated before disappearing into its hole. It came back out, one claw raised high above it. Energy began to charge in its raised claw.

"What!? I have a bad feeling about this..." Rise gasped. Shi turned to her persona.

"Deal as much damage as you can!" She cried. It nodded, the masks on its tails aiming at the shadow. It threw every elemental attack it possessed at the shadow. As it unleashed its final attack, Rise spoke to them.

"It's... It's going to attack! Get ready!" Shi glanced at the others before bracing herself. She tucked her scalpel against her arm and crossed her arms in front of herself. As the others did the same, shadow Teddie swung his arm around. The attack didn't hurt but she could feel the power. If they hadn't have been warned, they would be dead. She went back to attacking it, supporting the others.

"What...? How can you summon such strength for such a futile endeavour...!?" Shadow Teddie asked.

"It's not futile!" Shi yelled. "Ok, so we don't know the truth yet. But it's that determination to find it that gives us the strength to face the days even when we are at our lowest!"

"Why do you still resist...!? Even should you win, naught but suffering awaits!" Shadow Teddie countered.

"Suffering is inevitable in life. No matter how hard you try, you can't avoid it. But that's what helps us grow. We learn from our suffering and grow stronger. If you don't resist, you've given up on life. That's when you truly lose and everything is futile!" Shi yelled. As if supported by her words, her persona unleashed a barrage of attacks. It hopped back, letting Yu's persona charge forward. He unleashed the final blow that defeated the shadow. Darkness rushed past them as the shadow faded. Yu and the others ran to Teddie whilst Shi ran to Rise.

"Rise-chan, are you OK!?" She asked. Rise nodded slowly.

"I just feel a little tired Tawakemono-sensei." She croaked. They turned to look at Teddie who was facing his shadow.

"I... I don't know who I am..." He said softly. "I've thought a number of times... That maybe there is no answer... But I'm here... I live here..."

"I'm sure you'll find your answers Teddie." Yu said.

"Dude, we'll help you figure it out." Yosuke added. They all nodded in agreement.

"I'm... I'm one lucky bear! Waaaah!" Teddie sobbed. He turned to see his shadow fade and be replaced by a persona. "Is this my persona?" He asked them.

"I can sense strong power from it... It's awesome, Teddie." Rise said weakly. They looked at her before taking her out of the club. They walked her towards the exit where Shi stopped them.

"I'll go on ahead. It will be hard to explain why I am with you all when I should be at work." She said. They all nodded. "I will see about getting that brush for you Teddie." She added before leaving the TV world. She quickly snuck out of Junes and headed back to the station. She crept in through the morgue, looking around to see if any new patients had arrived. None were there so she headed to the main room. She sidled up to Adachi.

"Hey, where have you been?" He asked. She shrugged, grimacing as a pain ran through her shoulder.

"I went to check on my shoulder. It still aches. If it doesn't clear up, I will go get it checked out at the hospital." She said. He nodded slowly. "So, what's happening?" She asked.

"The prefectural police sent some detective to help us investigate the murders. You know, seeing as how we haven't made any progress since April." He explained. "Guess who it is." Shi frowned and looked at the centre of the room. Naoto was stood there.

"You don't need to worry about paying me. Solving this case is reward enough for me." Naoto said. Shi rolled her eyes.

"Oh they'll love him for that." She murmured, leaning against Adachi's desk. He nodded in agreement. As the higher-ups walked away with Naoto, Dojima sighed.

"That does it, I am going for a drink. You two coming, seeing as our shifts are over?" He asked. Shi and Adachi both nodded.

"I will just drop my car off at home." Shi said. She waved them off and headed to her home. After locking her keys in the key drawer she headed to the pub. When she arrived, Dojima was already half way through a bottle of sake. Adachi was looking worried at him.

"Dojima-san, maybe you should slow down." He suggested as Shi sat down. Dojima murmured something Shi was unable to hear, downing his next drink. She watched him silently, sharing a look with Adachi as Dojima ordered another bottle of sake. Eventually, when he was swaying side to side, Shi made her decision.

"Come on Dojima-san, let's get you home." She said. She wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders, grimacing as he gripped her sore shoulder. Adachi took his other arm and walked him home. Shi opened his front door then shut it after Adachi helped Dojima inside. There was a dull thud as Dojima hit the step.

"Ow! Dammit...! Who built a shtep here!?" He slurred.

"That'd be the carpenters, sir. C'mon, don't take your anger out on the house. That won't solve anything." Adachi said. Shi followed as he helped Dojima in.

"Whooo... I'm hooome. Nanako! I'm baaack!" Dojima cried drunkenly.

"Welcome... Back..." Nanako said softly.

"Come on Nanako-chan, let's go get his futon ready." Shi said, holding her hand out to Nanako. Nanako quickly took it and led her to his room. She took the futon down, helping Nanako set it up.

"Did daddy have too much sake?" Nanako asked her.

"Possibly Nanako-chan. But he'll learn from it in the morning. I better make sure I have painkillers for him." Shi replied. Nanako nodded. "Are you OK finishing up whilst I go check on him?" She asked.

"Yeah! I can finish this Shi-chan." Nanako smiled happily.

"Atta girl. Oh, that reminds me. I saw this the other day and got it for you." She said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small jack frost keyring. "I figured you could put it on your bag." Shi suggested. Nanako smiled brightly and hugged her.

"Thank you Shi-chan!" She exclaimed happily. Shi smiled and hugged her back before walking back towards Dojima. He was berating Yu as she walked in. He turned his attention to her.

"As for you! You're partially to blame as well! Getting yourself kidnapped because you've been too focused on this idiot... Ya got the prefectural police all bent out of shape and for what!? A fling!" He exclaimed drunkenly. Shi blushed, as did Adachi.

"I didn't ask to be kidnapped." She murmured.

"No, but you have been screwing around with *hic* Adachi. Man, you would have to be blind not to see there's something going on with you two." He scolded her. Shi blushed more, suddenly aware of Yu's eyes on her. Much to her relief, Nanako entered the room to let them know his futon was ready. Adachi nodded and helped Dojima up before walking him to his room. Shi sighed and walked over to the door to wait for Adachi.

"Let him sleep it off. Hopefully, he will wake up with a reminder of what happens when he drinks too much." Shi said as Adachi returned. "We'll see you later Nanako-chan. Bye Yu-kun." They waved goodbye and headed back towards her home. As they walked, she took his hand.

"Do you think anyone else at the station knows?" He asked her.

"I think everyone in the town suspects. But let them decide what they want. I have had a long day and all I wanna do now is relax and have a little fun." Shi said, smiling seductively at him. He grinned back, wrapping his arms around her as they stepped closer to her home. His lips met hers, claiming her attention once again for the night. But even after his attempts to distract her, she could still feel a cold sense of dread possess her. She curled up closer to him before drifting off to sleep. This case was still far from over, and she couldn't escape the feeling that things were only going to end in heartbreak.


End file.
